Just Politics
by Bl4ckSun
Summary: Drowning under the responsibility of recovering her tribe two years after the war, Katara is desperate for an easier way. When her family receives an invite from Fire Lord Zuko opening his court to eligible noblewomen, how could she refuse an opportunity to meet with him over reparations? Zutara, rated M for upcoming chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own ALAB

I watched the series again recently and really wanted to do a story on them! So here's the first chapter; no, I haven't abandoned my other stories. I've been in school for the last few months, so I've fallen behind but I'm starting up again really soon. Please enjoy it!

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Katara threw herself onto her skins for the night, utterly exhausted.

It had been just over two years since the end of the war. Katara hadn't known what to expect, but she certainly hadn't been ready for, well, the _work._ The backbreaking, seemingly never ending work that had encompassed her entire being until she had nothing left to offer her village.

And Katara would _die_ for her village.

Things had, and hadn't, been like what she'd expected after a lifetime of fighting. The reunion with her family had been endlessly rewarding; they had initially fallen back into their old life, with the addition of the Avatar hanging around. For a few months, Katara had been able to explore a previously unknown part of her life; her budding relationship with Aang was like nothing that she'd ever experienced. Being unconditionally adored was a nice feeling to finally have. Suki was busy rebuilding the Kyoshi islands, but she made time every month to visit, or Sokka would visit her. It seemed like everything that she had ever dreamed possible was finally coming to life.

And then the refugees arrived. They were obviously welcome; many were returning to their homes, descendants of stolen Southern Water Tribe villagers. Some were wanderers looking to make new lives in a place that they'd dreamed of, a land where kinship ruled above all. Some were Northern Water Tribe prisoners unwilling to make the long trip home, and instead settling for or sometimes preferring their sister kingdom. More people than she had known in her short life were suddenly flooding her small village, making it more of a town than anything else: a town with constantly growing needs, especially with the approaching winter season.

Katara and Chief Hakoda welcomed all new or returning villagers with open arms. After all, the rebuilding of a village depended highly on the rebuilding of its people. However, many of those returning carried little or nothing to their name, and lacked skills deprived of them during the war for survival on the tundra. This wouldn't be a problem either if not for the sheer number of refugees. Katara was at a loss for what to do. Some were benders, but thanks to the swift and brutal genocide committed by the Fire Nation soldiers, none of them had the skill or training to do much with even that. And Katara hardly had time to train them, considering the constant repairs needed by the growing population.

So, Katara spent entire days erecting ice shelters, expanding the wall around their village to protect from the wild animals, healing the sick and wounded, or hurriedly trying to pass on some of her skills to green waterbenders. All of it was labor that she loved, in the name of her village.

But Katara was _exhausted._ Her whole body ached from a full day of bending, her heart ached from an early morning of healing, and she cried inside when she remembered that the eastern wall needed to be pushed out to make room for a new ship of refugees coming first thing tomorrow. The wall was critical for protecting the village from the large carnivores that lived wild here, and she couldn't neglect her duties.

Reparations from the Fire Nation were her only real hope of relief, but her joy with the goods brought to her had faded long ago when she realized how shady the captain assigned to their tribe had become. Monthly, his fleet dropped off boxes of blankets, food, supplies, and money, but it was used up so quickly that within a day, it was as though it had never come at all.

She still remembered when her father had confronted Captain Tung about the supplies, which had been short for the last several months.

"Captain, this doesn't check out," he'd said, his blue eyes cold and accusatory. "It says in this list that we're supposed to have two hundred pounds of grain, a hundred of meat, and five thousand gold towards the restoration of our fleets, on top of tools, blankets, and raw building material. This isn't even half of that."

Many men were shaken by the chief's stare, but Fire Nation soldiers had long ago been indoctrinated into ugly ideologies about other nations. This man had made it clear, too, that he didn't consider water tribe villagers as much more than primitive savages. Captain Tung had sneered with that disdainful look he'd always had when he came to shore. His eyes, a dirty yellow, didn't flinch away from the hard gaze of the chief.

"Things get lost at sea," he'd replied softly, shrugging, but not backing down. "We hit a storm. Lost some containers." The blatant lie was insulting at best, and Chief Hakoda had riled at it.

"Fire Lord Zuko will hear of this," snapped the older man angrily, stepping forward to size up the small captain. "Reparations are his number one concern. We _need_ those supplies." Several months ago, five thousand gold would have been a mind blowing fortune to Katara; now, she saw that it only just secured their future as a tribe. But Captain Tung only smirked at them, turning his back on them to board his ship and return to his home port.

"The Fire Lord doesn't have the time or attention for personal grievances," he sighed, waving them off. "And despite his political power, he doesn't hold sway over the weather. See you next month, Chief Hakoda."

Katara and her father could only glare after the haughty captain as he returned to his ship, the guards retreating with him. Before long it was only a speck on the horizon, and with it went Katara's hopes for an easy winter.

Resigned villagers had shouldered the boxes, knowing full well how badly they needed supplies. Katara felt like crying; their village was finally starting to grow, its people had come home, but it was just so much endless labor that she didn't see an end in her lifetime. They had food to store, people to train, schools and hospitals and homes to make...and with no other waterbenders skilled enough for the task, it would be a very long time before they were anywhere near stability. Maybe a decade, possibly more, she had no idea.

Katara was so tired that she didn't even hear the door to her hut open, as she was buried under her skins in a moment of sweet rest.

"Sweetheart, we need to talk to you."

The tired waterbender groaned, pulling the skins tighter around her. Her eyes burned with exhaustion, her muscles aching horribly. She was just so _tired!_ Why didn't they understand how difficult bending that many shelters had been for her? Or, perhaps Kana was ready to give birth and they needed a healer? She sat up slowly, the warmth falling from her shoulders with the animal skins.

Her father and gran-gran stood in her hut, looking at each other nervously as her eyes focused. Gran-gran held a scroll tightly in her hands as she shifted from foot to foot. Katara's eyes narrowed as she assessed the discomfort in their expressions.

"Katara, we have a unique opportunity for you," murmured gran-gran, sitting at the edge of her granddaughter's bed. "We...we need this, from you. It's asking a lot, but the village is struggling, and we need our reparations from the Fire Nation."

Katara's eyes lit with new interest, despite the dark circles around them. She'd been so demoralized by another day of seemingly endless building that anything that implied faster progress was news that she was ready to hear. But her father looked exceptionally grim, his ocean blue eyes shadowed with something that looked like annoyance. She frowned.

"Did you get a response from Zuko about the reparations supplies?" she asked, wondering if his anger was directed towards that still. He shrugged, but his expression didn't change.

"Not exactly. His advisor responded, stating that they were sorry for the supplies lost at sea, and that they'd increase next month's shipment, but I don't anticipate receiving them somehow." She scowled with him as she recalled the captain's sneaky weasel face, and wondered exactly how much of their goods lined his cellars and his pockets. "This is sort of about that, but we don't feel comfortable keeping any information from you. I wish there was a different way to go about this, but it's a good opportunity to get counsel with the Fire Lord directly."

"Zuko? How hard could it be?" she asked, laughing. "It's not like we don't know him. I wish I'd gone earlier, actually, when we figured out what was happening to the rest of the supplies."

"We needed you here, sweetheart. Our people struggled too much to let our only healer leave, and from his advisor's past letters, it seems that the new Fire Lord is extremely busy with managing corruption in his own court, as well as international relationships. We need send an envoy, somebody who knows everything about the Southern Water Tribe, somebody with a title that can sidestep his political advisors." Her father's wisdom always surprised her. Of course Zuko would redirect minor messengers to his council of advisors, but he couldn't reject a meeting with a friend and the daughter of a chief.

Katara brightened immediately. She hadn't been to the Fire Nation in a long time, nor had she been able to think about anything besides immediate crises in her tribe. There, however, she could directly and powerfully impact the rebuilding of the South Pole, and maybe have some time to unwind after a long two years of managing mayhem. Plus, she'd get to see a few of her old friends again.

"But...the conditions under which the invitation was sent...may not be palatable to you. If you don't want to go, then we would understand," said Gran-gran slowly. "We received a missive from the Fire Nation earlier this week. I'm sorry that you're only hearing about it now; your father and I met with the village elders to discuss how this would be approached. Apparently...Fire Lord Zuko has reached a marriageable age, and his council of advisors is seeking a marriage that would support the restoration and unification efforts of his nation. They have invited noble women and their families from the other three nations to the palace, to celebrate his coming of age, as well as to present offers for marriage."

Katara stared blankly at her grandmother, wondering what all this had to do with her. Then, when both her father and Gran-gran averted their eyes, she came to the sudden and awful realization.

" _Me?"_ she burst in shock. "I got invited? What? _Why_? I'm not a noblewoman! And Zuko is...I mean, he was my friend. That's _weird!_ " She shuddered, remembering the sullen boy that she'd known years ago. Her father shrugged, sighing deeply.

"Well, your title by another nation would be princess. The Water Nation doesn't share the same royal culture as the Fire and Earth Nations, but as the daughter of a chief, you're the highest ranking woman here under a queen," he said. Katara's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "And if you want to go, we have received some goods from the Northern Tribe to supplement your journey. Princess Yue was the only princess in the Northern Tribe, so right now they're backing your willingness to envoy for them as well. They're sending a few noble girls, but haven't forgotten their sister tribe."

Katara felt her world closing around her, her hands sweating in her lap as she stared down at them. The Northern Tribe had gotten wind of the news before it was even formally announced, had sent a ship in preparation for this exact event to their sister tribe. Her father and grandmother might be using this opportunity to open a door for an ambassador, but her sister tribe was clearly hoping for something more advantageous than a simple message between friends.

And on top of all of this, she was still with Aang. Well, she hadn't seen him in months, to be fair, and even that was only a brief weekend at the South Pole, spent fishing and playing with the tiger seals, holding hands and watching stars. It had been so sweet and new to her, but he'd had to leave after too short a time to return to Ba Sing Se. He'd been working out of the various Earth and Fire Nation kingdoms, to ensure that international relationships were remaining secure. Of course she cared about him, but they hadn't exactly been on the same wavelength for a while.

But maybe she'd get to see him at the Fire Nation capital. Maybe he'd be working there. How mad would Chief Arnook be if he found out just how little she cared about the political marriage stuff?

She realized that she was planning on going, at least to talk to Zuko about the reparations and their seedy captain, if not for the chance to see Aang again. She groaned, rubbing her eyes with her hands.

"Are you and Sokka coming with me?" she asked, remembering the part about noble families. Her father smiled slightly.

"Sokka is not coming back from the Kyoshi islands for another week, then we'd leave for the Fire Nation after you. The formal invitation is for three months, a summer in the Fire Nation capital; I just need the week to make sure that preparation for winter is going to be finished. If we can get more supplies from the Fire Lord before winter, I'm confident that this time next year, we'll be caught up and back on the map economically. Three months without you would be tough, but we'd make it. It's for the greater good."

Katara closed her eyes wearily. Schools. A hospital. Maybe even a university. Goals that had seemed to far only today now had an end in sight, and all she needed to do was exert her influence as a... _princess_. The word made her frown. She certainly had never felt like one, especially not when she was spending entire weeks erecting buildings nearly singlehandedly.

"When am I leaving? What do I need?"

"Your grandmother has made a list for you. Thanks to Chief Arnook, you have most of what you need already. Formal water tribe dresses for all occasions, jewelry, writing tools, whatever you need. Much of it belonged to his own daughter, so treat them well. He has a vested interest in your...success." He said the word like it was poison, and she understood why. Despite her father's respect for the new Fire Lord, it was difficult for a man who'd grown up watching firebenders kill his loved ones to even imagine his daughter becoming involved with one. Maybe Chief Arnook didn't share his feelings, but somehow Katara believed that if Yue was still alive and available, even he would find some excuse to keep his own daughter out of the court. It was definitely a precarious political position to be in.

"And he sent something else for you, though I'm not sure how you'll feel about it." His smile was wry now, more playful than it had been before. She brightened up, wondering what he could have sent that she'd be interested in. "It's a buffalo yak. Apparently most of the ladies will be bringing their own mounts, as a display of status and culture from their own cities. Chief Arnook apparently feels that a princess who walks will be looked down on. All of his noblewomen and their families will be on buffalo yaks."

Katara grimaced slightly. Buffalo yaks were odd creatures, tall and quick, a good mount for a member of royalty. She was sure that he had sent the best of his stables too. But that beast meant nothing to her. It wasn't a creature of the South Pole, and she'd never even seen one before she'd visited their sister tribe. Wearing their clothes, riding their royal beasts...it felt like they were putting a claim on her. She knew that the Fire Nation Capital was too big to navigate without a mount of some sort, but a buffalo yak wasn't a creature to represent her culture. Regardless, Katara was nothing if not polite.

"Oh, I don't know what to say," she said quietly. "I guess we'll go see it." She started to stand, but her father placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I thought you'd feel that way," he laughed, knowing his daughter best. "It's really a very smelly animal. I thought maybe you'd prefer something more local, and fitting to your status in the tribe." Katara looked up, wondering what he was talking about. "You've always been more of a warrior than a princess, I'd say."

Katara gasped, her hands flying up to her face, immediately knowing what he was referring to. "You don't mean it, do you dad?!" she gasped. "A snow leopard caribou?" Snow leopard caribou were prized within their community, not only a status symbol, but also valuable and loyal animals. They were fast and strong, top predators that were too skillful to be honorable hunting partners. There were a few remaining tame cats, raised very recently by a close family friend. Katara had never dreamed of owning one; most warriors had to be gifted one from the chief after performing a particularly brave or heroic task.

"I think you're long overdue one," he said, leading his daughter to the door. Katara felt her eyes fill with tears. "You earned one many years ago. I owe Akala my life for setting one aside for you, but I'll pay her back eventually." Her grandmother smiled at the girl's joy; it had been a long time since Katara had smiled like that. She bowed her head as the two left the warm hut.

They walked for about a mile, towards the edge of the tribe's walls. Katara was alight with glee and anticipation, unable to believe that she would be gifted with one of the first leopard caribou in the South Pole since her tribe had been wiped out. Finally, she saw the thin line of smoke leading to the hut at the end of the village. Akala had a special living area, one where she could raise and train her cats and let them roam the tundra, as had been her family's craft for years. Now an old woman with her own children and grandchildren, she bowed to the chief and his daughter as they approached.

"Akala. I've brought Katara to see the kittens." Chief Hakoda's eyes lit with pride as he presented his daughter, who bowed to honor one of the village's elders. Akala's parents had been stolen from her as a child, and she had been imprisoned at a young age, but she had returned long ago pregnant with a soldier's child. Nobody spoke of Akala's dark history, but whispers suggested that she had loved the Fire Nation soldier who had freed her many years ago. None of her children were benders, so perhaps they would never know, but regardless she was treated with the respect owed a village elder and a skilled craftswoman. She returned Katara's smile, and her respectful bow.

"Excellent, you are most welcome, Chief Hakoda. Follow me, come along. The litter is back here. They've all been trained to ride, although they're still very young, so they can be shy. They're very gentle, so feel free to handle them. Your father paid for first choice, young lady, so take your time and make sure that you know which cat you want."

Akala spoke as though the kittens were newly born, but the four leopard caribou that Katara saw were nearly adult size. Easily twice the size of an ostrich-horse, they greeted the group with a symphony of rather intimidating growls.

Katara hesitated for only a moment. Their growls may be deep, but their soft golden eyes projected only a curious innocence. Soft grey ears thrust forward, they quieted as they recognized Akala.

"Hush, sweethearts," she murmured, smiling and gesturing to Katara. The young waterbender moved forward, meeting eyes with each young cat. Their soft growls turned to interested chirps as she moved to each one, touching their soft gray faces, the long tan horns.

Snow leopard caribou were lovely animals, despite or because of their ferocity, she wasn't sure. Their bodies were large and sleek, the fur a gorgeous gray peppered with black rosettes, light ivory on their cheeks and bellies. Their hooves were smooth and split, a darker charcoal in color. She inspected each very carefully, although she wasn't sure exactly what to look for. She had seen so few up close.

The first two had flinched away from her touch; she met eyes with them and continued on. The next one didn't flinch, but also didn't meet her eyes. The last, and the smallest, licked her whole arm when presented, and met her gaze with a deep purr. Katara fell in love with the honey soft gaze that held hers.

"What's her name?" she asked softly, not moving her eyes from the cat's. The deep purr continued, the leopard caribou gingerly rubbing her head along Katara's shoulder, conscious of the long horns that had begun to grow and maneuvering them away from the waterbender. Akala smiled.

"Her name is Ka. She's the cleverest of the litter, and the gentlest as well. Well chosen, young lady Katara." She bowed humbly. "I will retrieve her saddle, and prepare her for your journey."

"Dad...thank you," whispered Katara, her eyes filling with tears. It had been so long since she had felt a pleasure as pure as this. The big cat continued to rub her head along Katara's arm, the deep purrs vibrating the muscle there.

"Of course, darling," he said gently, his hand firm on her shoulder. "She's all yours. So, looks like you'll be going to the Fire Nation Capital with a friend."

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I know that I have too many fics, I'll be updating my Naruto one soon. But for now, please read and review my new fic! I adore ALAB, can't wait to progress with this story. I appreciate any feedback, I know how low vis the new fics are, but I hope to hear from any interested readers!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own ATAB.

Wow! I know that I only got a few reviews, but honestly I wasn't expecting anything for just one chapter. I really appreciate it, clearly you guys are thirsty for some more quality Zutata fics. I will do what I can to provide, just keep the reviews coming and we'll all be happy! Enjoy my next chapter!

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The slow rocking of a ship was soothing to a waterbender. Katara slept deeply, gently caressed by the rolling ocean that carried her to a faraway land. Her dreams had always been comforting on the sea.

She dreamed of an airbender, a boy turned man who showed her how to fly. His eyes, large and gray and sweet, held hers with a simple and devoted sort of love. She couldn't look away from them, she let the love in them soothe her, basked in the sheer adoration. As she watched them though, they slowly began to turn to gold. With a surprised start she woke, the wide eyes of Ka right in front of her face catching her immediate attention and eliciting a small shriek from the girl.

Katara then laughed and smiled at the young cat. Ka had thrown a fit when introduced to her stable beneath deck, and Katara had pitied the creature enough to ask the crew to let her stay in her room. They acquiesced, if only because forcing a one ton animal to their will was nearly impossible. So now, every night, the snow leopard caribou slept on the floor by her bed, her snoring presence surprisingly comforting to Katara. Although she supposed that she had spent so much time sleeping on Appa that she liked the sound of a large animal nearby.

Those golden eyes now pleaded wordlessly with her.

"Alright, alright, I'll find something to eat," sighed the young woman, rolling out of bed with a groan. "Fish or fish?" The cat licked her chops in anticipation. Katara stretched, enjoying the cracking in her joints. The variety of food on the ship wasn't the best, but at least she could help it out with her fishing.

It had been nearly four weeks since she had boarded the ship. Katara had been awed and humbled by the choice; her father had selected their most beautiful ship, an intricately painted warship made from the best pine that they had. It smelled lovely, and skated over the ocean like a sea tern. "Ice Queen," she was called, and Katara was reluctant to admit the correlation to its task. ' _Toph would have laughed,'_ she thought sadly. It had been over a year since she'd seen her earthbending friend. She'd received a few letters from Toph, but as she grew more and more involved with the reconstruction of her village, and Toph with establishing a metalbending school, it had eventually died. As she fresh breeze brushed her dark face, she closed her eyes to enjoy it, but her pleasure was tinged with sadness. How long it had been since they'd traveled the world together as best friends.

"Princess Katara?" asked an attendant, bowing respectfully. She cringed at the title, but her father had ordered them to abide by the international royal code. "Do you need something?" He was only a teenager, really. They couldn't spare too many men and women in their village. So, acknowledging his desire to obey their chief, she drew herself up like royalty.

"Food, if you have some," she said with stiff politeness. "Meat for Ka, and whatever is convenient for me. Fruits or bread or something." Ouch. Definitely not the most regal way to phrase something, but the boy bowed regardless. His mouth quirked at the corners in a smile as he recognized her discomfort.

"Yes ma'am, meat for the cat and food for you," he replied, backing away and heading below deck to the small kitchens. She had five attendants on the ship, more than she'd ever had, but surely it was meager compared to a noblewoman of the north. ' _Well, I'm not a real noblewoman,_ ' she thought with a tinge of arrogance. ' _I'm just there to talk to an old friend, not fight over a guy._ ' She groaned, forcing the pride out of herself. The women competing for Zuko's hand were probably very nice ladies; she was just feeling self conscious and nervous about representing her entire nation over a whole summer, on top of seeing a friend that she hadn't seen in a long time. If she could still call him that; she had never particularly liked him, and it had been so long that he could be a very different person at this point.

Aching to distract herself from nervous thoughts, Katara wandered to the edge of the ship, idly bending a stream of water to her hands. It flowed like a living thing, the coolness sliding through her fingers as swiftly as the ocean breeze moved around her. Her eyes closed as she chose to follow the wandering flow of chi through her body, the spiritual strength that so connected her to her element. As a waterbending master, she felt the stream of water around her, and the ocean beneath her, as extensions of her own spirit.

 _'How long before we reach shore?'_ she wondered vaguely. She really hated to leave the sea, but at the same time, she needed to see beyond the confines of her small (though constantly expanding) village. The opportunity to see Aang, and also Zuko, piqued her interest as nothing else had for ages. She sighed with a deep yearning for more than her South Pole life had offered her, as she had years ago. Maybe she could do great things for her nation as an ambassador. She'd have to discuss the possibility of an international career with her father, after he arrived at the Fire Nation Capital.

Letting her thoughts and anxieties slide from her mind, Katara stretched her arms out, spindling the stream of water into a thin whip as she smoothly transitioned from one stance to the next, water moving around her like a living thing. She transitioned from ice stance to ocean stance, and then river stance, before she finally opened her eyes and saw the strip of land in the distance.

"Akoati!" she yelled, running to the side of the ship. "The coast!" Filled with nervous joy, she began to move the water beneath the ship, to carry them more swiftly to shore. A summer with her family on a luxurious vacation, the chance to save her tribe, the possibility of seeing Aang, all of it added up to an anxious sort of thrill. She couldn't resist the rare feeling of delight.

The Fire Nation Capital wasn't too far from shore. They would be there within the day, and with that realization her anxiety seemed to increase tenfold. She hadn't seen Zuko in so long. From Aang's letters, it seemed that his dedication to the restoration of the world was total. But she had hardly known Zuko the teenage boy; she had no idea how to approach Zuko the Fire Lord. ' _Well...he invited_ me! _'_ she thought with a deep breath. _'He sent me an invitation. Or, at least his advisors did.'_ Maybe they had simply sent the same message to every nation. She pushed down the thought. _'We traveled the world together, I spent a year sleeping in the same camp as him. I'm sure it won't be awkward.'_ Regardless, he _had_ invited her.

Katara didn't know quite how to feel about that, but she was too far in to get cold feet. From this point on, she would need to act the part of a Southern Water Tribe princess. Retreating to her room, she started to change into the Water Tribe royal colors.

The dress was beautiful blue, deep ocean colored as the base and with icy details along her sleeves and the collar. It was an old dress of her mother's, and she wore it with deep pride. The matching boots and gloves were lovely white, and she carefully fastened her mother's choker necklace along with a sapphire and silver headdress that framed her face beautifully. One female servant carefully applied white and silver paints to her face, similar to the warrior colors, but applied in such a way as to bring out all of the beauty of her eyes. The paint and the white fur on her collar made her look like a real princess. Katara was reminded of Yue as she stared at her strange reflection.

And her attendants did not fail her big cat either. They decked Ka out in magnificent traditional trappings, the dark blue contrasted strikingly against her light fur. She sat tamely as they tightened straps and fixed blankets, covering her from head to tail in Water Tribe regalia. Skilled servants, they distracted the leopard caribou with offerings of fish and seal jerky as they fussed over buckles.

When done, Katara cautiously mounted her cat. Ka's ears pricked as she accepted her rider, her paws soft and slow as she moved forward. Katara felt wonder at the gentleness and intelligence of the warrior mount, especially when Ka assessed the slowness of her dismounted attendants and adjusted her own speed to accommodate them. They walked alongside their chief's daughter, dressed in fine gray tunics. The weather here was much hotter than the South Pole; Katara was starting to sweat, despite the lighter summer material of the dress. She couldn't wait to arrive and change into her cooler nightclothes.

Katara's excitement faded with the gradual progression of their modest caravan. The only other creature in their group was a yak, which the servants used to tow the gifts that she'd received from the Northern Water Tribe specifically for this journey. They walked all day, the hot sun bearing down upon them. It had been so long since Katara had left the South Pole that she could hardly believe she'd endured this heat before. The sweat was really starting to build up under her new dress.

Ka was suffering too, under the Fire Nation sun. Her tongue rolled loosely as she panted, though she didn't slow her ambling gait.

It felt like a full day before the horizon of the city appeared, though she knew it was only a few hours from the coast. Most major cities were located near coastlines, allowing for the easy movement of imports and exports. The Fire Nation Capital was no different, but despite her long journey across the sea, it still felt like an eternity before they arrived. Katara was tired of traveling; she was eager for a bed to sleep in, and a room to live out of until she could go home. The Fire Nation was a lovely vacation area, but she knew that she'd miss the beautiful solitude of the South Pole.

It seemed that she wasn't the only one to reach the Capital; as they approached the city gates, she saw a young woman from her sister tribe, her large and impressive caravan all mounted on beautifully decked out buffalo yaks. They towed multiple carriages, and the lady herself was in an ice blue sleigh. Katara didn't recognize the girl, but she was very lovely, with soft green eyes and light brown hair. She must be from a noble family of the Northern Water Tribe, noble enough to be invited to the Capital, but not so noble as to be a part of their royal family. Regardless, she nodded in respect when she met eyes with Katara, who returned the somber greeting.

Behind her northern cousin was an Earth Kingdom noblewoman, her own caravan pulled by ostrich-horses decorated with gold harnesses. This lady exchanged glances with Katara, but she seemed colder than her predecessor. She was also very beautiful, with dark eyes and hair against porcelain skin.

The guard wordlessly opened the gates to the caravans, bowing respectfully as the ladies and their escorts rode by. Katara bowed her head in return, having learned from her father to always show respect to laborers. They looked surprised and pleased to receive acknowledgement of their service, and they exchanged smiles as she passed them.

People lined the main road, common Fire Nation citizens with a wide variety of reactions. Some cheered and threw fire orchids and lilies, welcoming the princesses and noblewomen of distant lands. Others jeered, which didn't surprise Katara. She had seen firsthand the propaganda that had fueled the hundred year war, and had anticipated that many of the citizens would be less than pleased at their Fire Lord's unification efforts and willingness to open borders to other nations. Regardless, she greeted each with respect, knowing that it was her duty as the representative of her nation to impart kindness and respect onto people of any status.

Some looked confused at her response, quieting shamefully at the temperate response from the waterbender. Others waved back abashedly, joining in the crowd that enthusiastically greeted her. It seemed that at least half of the gathered crowd deeply supported their new Fire Lord's reunification of the nations.

The palace slowly rose into view, the towers casting long shadows over the city. She'd never seen a building so magnificent, a testament to the ancient tradition of this proud nation. She felt her nerves returning, anxiety forming over the task ahead. Had he changed? Had she changed?

A royal guard greeted her caravan, bowing and opening the gates surrounding the palace as they approached. First rode her cousin from the north, her eyes downcast in lovely modesty as she rode by in her sleigh. Next rode the Earth Kingdom woman, her head held high and proud past the guards. Finally, Katara approached the gate, choosing instead to smile and wave at the guardsmen, who maintained their military composure but seemed to relax in her presence.

Finally, within the courtyard, she dismounted Ka, handing her reluctantly to the stablehand waiting to receive the mounts. She had enjoyed the company of her cat. Perhaps she could convince the household servants to let her sleep in her room.

Her nerves peaked as they crossed the courtyard on foot, thoughts racing across her mind as she wondered what kind of man Zuko had become in two years.

She didn't know if she should feel relieved or disappointed that he wasn't present for their arrival. His attendants greeted them instead, presenting each group with keys to a suite and gift baskets of Fire Nation fruit and breads.

"Welcome, Princess Katara," gushed the oldest servant, her white hair pulled back in a perfectly smooth topknot, as was traditional in their nation. "Your suite will be on the ground floor, in the royal accomodations. Your servants will be allotted their own quarters adjoined to yours. The kitchens are in the west wing if you're hungry, and fire nation guards will be available in all halls to accommodate your basic necessities. Tomorrow evening will be the welcoming feast for attending ladies. Fine dining and entertainment will be our priority for the night. Please make yourself comfortable, and if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to let us know!"

Katara bowed her head in return, earning a smile from the older woman. She followed the servant leading them to her rooms, surprised that she was being held in a royal suite. It didn't disappoint; with towering ceilings and a luxurious living area, it was built for a queen. And it was tastefully decorated with symbols of the Water Tribe, which was more comforting than she'd expected it to be.

Her servants immediately began unpacking. Feeling a bit in the way as they rushed around her, Katara decided to swing by the kitchen and see if she could order some food for herself and her attendants. She slipped quietly from the room.

She'd never had much chance to explore the famously large Fire Nation Palace, which was decorated beautifully with elaborate paintings and very old family crests. She couldn't help the spark of envy and resentment. The Southern Water Tribe had been deprived of the chance to build a history or a palace, which she was sure that they would have if the waterbenders hadn't been kidnapped and executed long ago. Feeling the ugly anger rising inside of her, she had to stop and take a breath, reminding herself that those were the sins of the last generation. She had no reason to believe that Zuko was anything but dedicated to restoring her nation to its former glory.

Wandering in the direction of the west wing, she wondered how far the kitchens were. She could have asked a nearby guard, but honestly the short walk felt good. She'd been stuck on a ship for so long that she appreciated a little exercise.

Meandering up some stairs, she continued along the halls.

"The demands from King Kuei are too high," said a gruff voice. "We're just as invested in the reparations as you are, but we have to consider the welfare of our own people. If we continue down this financial road, we'll be setting a fire beneath ourselves."

"I understand your reservations, general," said a more familiar voice. Katara realized with a shock that it was Fire Lord Zuko..his voice had deepened considerably in their years apart. "I have my own as well. But we have to think of the greater good. With the prosperity of the Earth Kingdom, we will grow as a nation as well. It's an investment in our own future to assist in the recovery of their kingdom." Katara found herself nodding in agreement, surprised at the maturity that her old friend had discovered as the leader of a kingdom.

"Understood, Fire Lord," murmured the general, submitting to his superior's command. "We will do our best to meet their expectations. But we must not forget that our own people suffer from the fallout of the war as well."

"I acknowledge your concerns. I have not forgotten about my people; the wellbeing of Fire Nation citizens is forefront in my decisions for how we will progress with reparations. We have to tighten our finances, though, and anticipate a future of free trade established to benefit all nations. We can endure some lean years for the sake of sister nations. It's the least that we owe them."

Several voices murmured in agreement. Katara was impressed with the level-headedness and sensibility that Zuko showed in his meeting.

Too late, however, she realized that the meeting had formally ended. Before she could find a place to hide, the gold twin doors flung open, and she found herself face to face with the Fire Lord.

Zuko had grown, she had to admit. He was taller, his shoulders broader, his face slimmer with the onset of adulthood. His golden eyes were wide with surprise at the abrupt appearance of his old friend.

"Katara," he exclaimed, his voice deepened with age. She stood in open mouthed surprise before she remembered her manners. She bowed respectfully in acknowledgement of a higher ranking person. He returned her bow after a moment's hesitation. "I...I didn't expect you to come." She didn't understand what he meant until she noticed the slight blush overcoming his features. _'Oh yeah, he thinks I'm here to marry him!"_ She blushed deeply from the realization.

"Oh, I...I'm sorry, I'm here for purely sentimental reasons," she stammered self consciously. His eyebrows rose marginally. She felt bad, but technically it wasn't a lie. "It's been sort of a long time, you know? And really, I needed a break from my current duties." He nodded in relief, his awkwardness fading into something a little more comfortable. He understood the need for a break. "Has Aang been around? It's been a while since I've seen him."

"Yeah, he was here a few weeks ago for the restoration meetings. He left for business in Omashu, and I haven't seen him since. He swings by every month or so, so I'd expect to see him soon." He smiled, and she was surprised by how well he'd grown into his features. _'He really isn't the boy that I remember anymore.'_ "But you're welcome to stay for the summer. The whole palace is open for guests, we have more than enough to accommodate."

"Accommodate your wedding guests?" she asked slyly, punching his shoulder. He had the decency to blush and avert his gaze.

"This was all my council's idea," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes. But he suddenly straightened his shoulders and assumed a surprisingly regal posture. "It's my responsibility to continue my lineage. Azula and my father still have supporters within the Fire Nation, so I need to establish my family as soon as possible." His words reminded her of Aang, to be honest. The humble dignity with which he accepted his duty was new. He had clearly grown into his role as the Fire Lord.

"I figured," admitted Katara. "It couldn't be so easy, to just walk in and assume the throne. I understand." In a brave gesture, she reached forward and took his hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "I've been beating myself into the ground with those same duties." His golden eyes met hers, and he smiled in grim acknowledgement of her struggle.

"Well, that's something that we have in common." He bowed low, respectful of her station. "Lady Katara. I'll see you at the feast tomorrow. Please excuse me, I have many tasks to attend to today." Flattered at the display, she curtsied in return. He was taking her station as a princess of the water tribe very seriously, more seriously than she'd expected. _'Leadership has changed him a lot, and for the better._ ' For the first time, she was enjoying the conversation with him.

He turned and left her, and she couldn't help but notice how his uniform fell gracefully over his taller figure. _'He's really a man now. I wonder if I've changed this much...I wonder if we've_ all _changed this much._ ' Filled with curious wonder, she continued her path to the kitchen. But it wasn't long before her second surprise of the day threw her off balance.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the sugar queen sulking around these parts."

Katara whirled around with a gasp. A short distance away stood a young Earth Kingdom woman, decked in green and gold, her hair smoothly done in her usual updo. Her green-grey eyes were narrowed mischievously, her smile clever and contagious, her hands planted stolidly on her slim hips. Katara raced towards her old friend, arms outstretched in demand of a hug.

" _Toph!_ " she cried, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. "It's been so long! How _are_ you?! What are you doing here?" As she voiced the question, an awful realization filled her. Toph laughed in equal self consciousness.

"Well, I guess I'm here for the same thing you are. You know. Political advantages, the advancement of the family name. My parents sent me; they're really gunning for the prestigious position of Fire Lord's in-laws." She blushed prettily, her hand raising to rub the back of her neck. Katara noticed that the girl was uncharacteristically clean. Her jaw dropped.

"Aren't you too young?" she asked in surprise. "You're what, fifteen or sixteen now? Zuko is almost twenty!" Saying it out loud made it pretty weird, but she pushed past the thought. She herself had just turned eighteen. Toph shrugged in resignation.

"Not my idea. I mean, sparky is pretty cute, I think. From what I can tell with my feet anyways. I don't mind the competition. Gives me something to do; it's been awfully boring in the Earth Kingdom. I'm glad you're here though. It's been sort of lonely exploring the palace by myself, and I'm not as good at making friends as you are." Katara couldn't help but agree. She had felt very out of place here, but the presence of her friend definitely made the trip worthwhile. She smiled and pulled the younger girl close again. She could tell that Toph was reaching the limit of her tolerance for physical affection, but she enjoyed the hug anyways.

"I'm glad you're here too," she sighed. Toph pulled back gently, her smile turning wry.

"I appreciate the competition," she laughed. "Let's go to war, sugar queen." Katara laughed, but she realized quickly that her friend was dead serious. She sobered, not understanding what the big deal was with this marriage thing.

"Toph...I'm glad to see you, but I don't think that I'm going to be your competition." She conceded humbly to the young noblewoman. Toph laughed dryly.

"We'll see," she replied in playful seriousness. "I have a feeling that you're going to be my _only_ competition." She gave Katara a quick squeeze before waving goodbye and trotting back towards her own suite. Katara stood still, staring after her friend in abject shock.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry if it's moving too fast, I REALLY didn't want to narrate the whole damn travel time. But I also think that you all would skip over it anyways lol, it's never very interesting. Things should be picking up now! Please R/R and let me know if there's anything in particular that you'd like to see. If it fits smoothly into the plotline, I'll do what I can. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own ALAB, nor do I own any of the original characters.

Note for readers; some of the content in this fic will be drawn from the comics that were published to follow up the series. Some of it I'm leaving out of things, for plot hole purposes. Obviously this timeline has to be slightly different from the published epilogues, or this couldn't really be a Zutara story, could it? Lol

Also thank you all so much for the reviews! I love reading them, especially the long ones, so don't hold back!

Please enjoy this chapter, and R/R!

* * *

After finally hunting down the kitchen staff and requesting food and drinks for her attendants, Katara quickly returned to her room. It was beginning to grow dark, and she needed to make sure that everybody had appropriate accomodations for their stay in the palace. The gold framed halls were rather confusing, but she managed to find her way back to her own suite after reaching the main hall through which she'd entered and backtracking.

As she walked in for the second time, she took a moment and really appreciated the size and layout of her quarters. Her own five villagers that she'd brought from the south had private rooms in a hallway adjoined to her lounge area. Their furnishings were simply cut, but of excellent quality wood and stone. Each room had a large window with a view into a lovely inner garden. It seemed that despite the cold cruelty of the past three rulers, the Fire Nation had some history of well treated servants. Her own attendants, done with unpacking Katara's things, were now making themselves at home in the comfortably sized rooms.

A knock at the lounge door, and some of the kitchen staff entered with covered platters. Having eaten little since she had gotten up, Katara brightened considerably. She wasn't overly fond of spicy food but she didn't mind Fire Nation cuisine. And it was considerably more appetizing on an empty stomach.

Slices of meat roasted over open flame, freshly cut sunapples, and baked breads soon covered the low tables in her room. Katara thanked the servants profusely before grabbing some apples and a roll, and retreating to her bedroom.

The bedroom, like the main room, had been thoughtfully decorated with symbols of her nation. Blue and silver banners hung from the walls, the furniture was made of familiar stone and pine, and her bed was even covered with clean skins to sleep on. As she slowly ran her hand across the skins, which she identified as tiger seal and arctic wolf, she wondered vaguely where they'd received such perfect intelligence on the Southern Water Tribe homestead.

But despite the imported trappings, she still felt lost as she laid down. with her family weeks away from seeing her, and Aang in Omashu, she let herself doubt for a moment. Was she in the right place?

 _'Well, Toph is here_ ,' she thought with quiet relief. She wasn't totally alone. Even if they hadn't spoken in a long time, she still felt the same surge of protectiveness and love that she'd always had for Toph. _'She never struck me as the marrying type though. I wonder what her game is...somehow I'm not convinced that she's here to compete for Zuko._ ' Toph loved her parents, but Katara doubted that she would ever let them control her life again. And she'd always known her friend to have a little prankster side; maybe she really _was_ here because she was bored. It certainly seemed to be the place to be for the summer.

And Zuko…

Katara held onto that thought for a moment, resisting the urge to let it slip from her mind. From what she'd seen of him today, he wasn't the same boy that she'd met years ago. He wasn't even the same boy that she'd fought side by side with against Princess Azula. His time on the throne had irrevocably changed him, and she wasn't familiar with the person who had uttered her name in surprise that evening. The thought that she had no idea who this new Fire Lord was, was terrifying to her. It made her wonder if maybe she didn't even know Toph anymore. How much had they changed? Would she feel the same awful canyon between her and everybody else from their long adventure over the years as she met them again?

Trapped in her own self destructive fears and anxieties, it took a long time for Katara to fall into a fitful sleep.

* * *

 _Katara's breath was hard in her throat as she climbed the towering tip of the mountain, her hands pushing off of the bunched muscles of her thighs to keep herself moving quickly. The mountain rose out of the blissfully gray fog of her mind, seeming to exist nowhere. She hardly registered this as she continued to climb, her hands closing around sharp, thorny branches as she struggled to pick up even more speed. She didn't think about why she pushed herself up and over the brutal rocks, why she didn't bother waterbending the cold drizzle that pummeled her._

 _'Alone...I have to keep going alone.' She knew with a deepening sense of grief that she_ was _alone. But the realization only tightened her grim resolve, and she pushed past that feeling too. It all fell away from her in the cool nothingness of this place._

 _The wind whipped her fiercely, causing her to struggle to maintain speed. The end was in sight. She continued to climb, but as she did the wind grew even stronger. She had to finish the climb...she couldn't explain it, memories and conscious thoughts seemed to slip away the further she walked, but the urge to continue only grew stronger with the wind. It felt like days before she reached the top, and the wind was nearly blowing her off of her feet. As she reached the peak, high above the highest clouds, the hurricane force gusts died into a breathless stillness._

 _When she looked down, the entire mountain was on fire._

* * *

Katara rubbed her eyes groggily, dizzy with the amount of sleep that she'd gotten. Without her endless stream of tasks that she had in the South Pole, or the day to day chores that came with traveling over the sea with a small crew, nobody had woken her up. It was more sleep at once that she had found in as long as she could remember, and it made her feel eerily similar to that time when Aang had fed her frozen frogs to ease her sickness, a long time ago.

She yawned, her jaw clicking uncomfortably, hair curly from the warm morning. _'What a night. I feel like I just ran ten miles.'_ She stretched her arms over her head, trying to shake the heavy unease that blanketed her like a second skin.

"Lady Katara," called an attendant, her voice muffled through the door. It must be the younger girl. "Breakfast is in the sitting area, and I think you have a bathing room if you want to clean. We can come and fill the tub if you'd like!" Satori was only thirteen, the youngest girl to accompany her across the ocean. Her father and the chief had been hesitant to send her, but she'd pleaded desperately to come; she had apparently been dreaming of crossing the ocean, and she'd jumped at the chance when the village was asked for volunteers.

Katara liked her. Despite her youth, she was friendly and eager to prove her worth, and the innocent delight that she had in every new thing reminded Katara of herself when she was younger.

"Thanks, Satori," she called back, her voice rough with sleep. "I got it, you guys get some food and relax for today. I don't think I'll need any help until I have to put that dress on for dinner."

Satori laughed before scampering off to snag some food. They all knew what she was talking about. She'd worn her mother's best dress for her arrival, but tonight she'd be wearing one of Yue's dining gowns. And it was a piece of work. She shuddered when she remembered the layers of silk and lace, the binding and wrapping required with the complex sashes, the sheer number of layers to it. Her crew had eyed it with apprehensive awe, and she groaned when she realized that she was going to have to wear it.

Shoving the thought away, she elected to wear her usual clothes today, after her bath. She'd be recognizable, and she'd feel much more comfortable. Looking around, she noticed a slim ivory door rimmed with gold washed molding. When she opened it, her breath stopped.

The bathroom was tremendously beautiful, modeled after a natural spring. It was its own private courtyard, complete with a natural heated pool surrounded by smooth sitting stones and ferns. She looked around quickly, but there were no doors on this level leading into this courtyard besides her own; there was one window, which made her nervous, but it was blocked with curtains from the inside. She decided not to worry about it for the time being, but she'd be sure to check it every day. It opened straight up into the clear sky, but when she squinted she could see a glass ceiling far ahead.

She'd never seen anything like it before; the heat from the day filled the room with humid steam, and it was with a relaxing sigh that Katara shed her nightclothes. ' _This is how you take a vacation.'_ She slid into the water, smiling widely when she saw the low stone shelf of soaps and lotions, all imported from the Northern Water Tribe.

After what felt like hours, she rose from the pool, thoroughly clean and smelling of snowmelon and sea spray. She neatly waterbended the rest of the dampness from her slick body, carefully drying her hair so she could tie it back without dripping on herself. Being a waterbender had its upsides occasionally. Returning to her room, she smiled when she saw her day to day clothes laid out for her on the bed. As much as she liked doing things for herself, it was sort of nice to be treated like, well, a _princess_. At least for a little while. She'd probably sit down with Akatsa, the eldest servant, and ask her to relax more as well. After all, they'd all been working hard in the village for the last two years; they definitely needed some down time where they could get it.

Dressing quickly into the clean clothes, she headed for her door and disappeared down the hall.

* * *

Zuko sighed irritably, smoke billowing around his face.

Of _course_ they did this. His council really was comprised of some silly old men, but he was going to have to sit down with them and hash our some boundaries. First of all, he had _never_ suggested that they open his palace for the entire summer. Secondly, although he'd agreed to the reasonable request of inviting foreign noblewomen to propose offers for the position of Fire Lady, he'd expected to have been presented with a _list_ of some sort. Not only had he not seen this supposed list, they had simply blasted out invites to the four corners of the planet. And lastly, they seemed to be under the absurd impression that he would be able to shuck his responsibilities, _for three months_ , and attend an absurd number of events that they'd harangued his personal assistant into penning directly onto his schedule.

He rubbed his face wearily. It wasn't that he didn't want to get married. He'd loved the companionship that had come with his relationship with Mai, but he didn't know how he felt about proposing to somebody that he'd spent only three months with. This was, by definition, a political marriage. Political marriages were by far more common than a love marriage in the Fire Nation royal family, but having grown up on the romantic fantasies traditional to their culture, he'd always sort of hoped that his would mean more to him.

He stared out of his office window at the orange leaves of the radian tree. The billowing black smoke soothed into a gray steam, fading eventually into nothingness as he closed his eyes, finding his inner calm. His nation asked this of him, and they were right. He needed to establish a royal family before his father's supporters could rise against him, and there was already word of a forming rebellion.

His other worry, however, plagued him nightly.

Zuko could handle an assassin. He could handle kidnappers. He knew how to fight, how to detect the soft steps of a killer, how to evade capture and escape from any position. But choosing a Fire Lady and siring children would undoubtedly put an entire family of innocent people into danger. How could he look these women in the face and ask them to die for their country? Or even a country that they were never born to? Zuko had known ascending to the throne that he would have to fight for his life at times, but he had never wanted to ask somebody else to do it with him.

A small sound caught his attention, and he whipped around, landing in the eastern sun stance, fist above his head. Nothing was there, nothing moved. He slowly relaxed, golden eyes slightly narrowing. He heard the sound again and stalked towards the other window in his father's old office, a small arched one blocked almost entirely by red curtains on the other side. He'd never liked that window being here, considering the way it blocked the view into an empty, inaccessible courtyard; that just seemed like a risk to him. He'd have no way of seeing somebody if they spied on him.

Tilting his head slightly, his eye caught the familiar gap in the curtains, a tiny sliver through which he could barely see the small pool that he knew was in there.

A girl was hip-deep in the hot water, her dark hair pulled over one shoulder, her lean back facing him. It sloped beautifully from the base of her neck to her smoothly curving hips, the water only just revealing the two dimples at the base of her spine and just a hint of...

Zuko jerked away from the window, heart pounding and eyes wide. He shook his head once, twice, wondering if he was going insane, or if there was a mythical nymph taking up residence in a private courtyard. His face felt like it was on fire.

Not sure if what he'd seen was even real, he reluctantly glanced back at the window.

She poured scented oils over her hair, running her hands through the thick mane, tempting him to think about the view from the other side.

He forced himself away again and walked quickly to the other side of the room, breath hard in his chest as he tried to force the image from his mind. A woman was bathing in a courtyard that he didn't even know how to get into, he'd never thought to ask, and now that he was sure she was real, he didn't dare to allow himself near it again.

" _Sina_ _!_ " he barked, some of the annoyance at himself entering his call in a growl. A scramble of feet, a door bursting open, and his newest assistant was standing in front of him. She looked terrified, so Zuko forced his face to relax; he knew that his grimace was found to be quite intimidating by most of his younger staff. "Go get the head maid." The young woman bowed deeply and backed out of the room. Zuko could hear her heels pounding the halls as he sprinted for the servants' quarters. Rolling his eyes, he took another breath to settle his inner fire, which had burned wildly at the vision of beauty outside of his own office window.

It was only a few minutes, but it felt like ages before an older woman entered the room. She was tall and formal, a salt-and-pepper woman whose face invited no games. Her name was Asha, and she had worked for his family for her entire life. She was saved of the cleansing of household staff by her well-known allegiance to Lady Ursa; she had despised his father ever since he'd banished her beloved mistress, and for her 'disloyalty' she had been forced to work in the lowest household positions for a long time. Zuko reestablished her as his head maid upon return, and she had been one of his most loyal servants since.

"Asha," he greeted her formally as she bowed. "Where is the entrance to that courtyard? With the pool?" She glanced momentarily at the window to which her Fire Lord gestured before bowing her head again.

"That...is from a refurbished room, esteemed Fire Lord," she said, her voice halting. He didn't respond, eyes narrowed as he waited for more. She sighed before continuing. "I apologize, my lord. That room was originally one of the royal suites, which was refurbished for a prince's concubine during the reign of Fire Lord Souzin. The courtyard was built then, and has remained ever since, although the suite has been empty for many years." Her bow didn't falter as she spoke, and Zuko's mouth dropped open slightly. He adjusted his features quickly, before she straightened.

"Ah. Well...whoever is staying in that room, I need you to swing by when they're not in, and take care of the gap in these curtains. I don't want to embarrass the young lady staying there, so please be discreet." As he returned her bow, his blush returned deeply. He could have sworn that a smile played on the corner of her mouth, but she was much too professional for him to know for sure.

"As you wish, Fire Lord," she said, disappearing from the room as he waved her away.

Zuko groaned aloud, wishing that she hadn't been real. Because if she was, then that meant that he was going to be extremely weak to the games that court ladies could play, and he'd wind up married to someone who was only interested in the title...and who could get herself killed for it.

Briefly, he wondered if they'd begrudge him a drink before dinner.

* * *

Katara roamed the halls freely, wondering where the stables were. Ka was probably miserable; she hadn't spent the night away from Katara since they'd chosen each other. And she wasn't sure if they had the fish she liked. She wondered vaguely where Toph was.

Moving quickly from one hall to the next, Katara rounded a corner and ran straight into a young woman.

Katara yelped and rubbed her forehead, where they'd smacked into each other. Opening her eyes, she saw another Earth Kingdom woman, this one about her height and build, her dress the lightest green and trimmed with white. She had wide green-gold eyes, and light brown hair framing her fair face prettily. Katara blinked. She must be from one of the noble families; she was much too delicate to be a serving woman.

"I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, jumping to her feet. She bowed deeply, her head practically touching her knees. "Master Katara! I didn't see you around the corner, I'm so careless!" Katara blinked before she realized that somebody had called her 'master' instead of 'princess' for the first time since she'd hit land.

"You...know who I am?" she asked hesitantly, rubbing the red spot on her forehead carefully. The girl smiled and extended her hand.

"Of course I do. I'm sorry, my name is Roraima, I'm a cousin of King Kuei." Katara shook her hand, surprised. ' _She's a Ba Sing Se duchess!'_ "I've heard all about you and the Avatar! I had no idea that I'd ever get to meet you. Are you here for the Fire Lord's coming of age?"

Katara knew a loaded question when she heard one. She laughed and shook her head quickly. "No, no, I'm here for business. You don't have to worry about me." Roraima's grin widened slightly; she had a very pleasant smile, one that made Katara want to be friends with her. So she took the girl's arm when if was offered to her, and they strolled towards the stables together.

"Oh, I don't think of this as a competition, though I'm sure that some may. The position of Fire Lady is one that comes with a great many responsibilities. I'd really just like to get to know the esteemed Fire Lord; he's quite famous for his uprising against the throne, and I hear he's very kind. He must be so interesting."

"Interesting is definitely right," laughed Katara as they walked. "He has a very complicated past. He can be grumpy sometimes, but he's a good person. At least, I think he is...I haven't really spent any time around him for a few years. I know the throne has probably changed him a lot."

"That's right! You spent a year traveling the world with him and the Avatar. How lucky for me to find you!" Roraima squeezed her arm. "Not that I'm trying to get a leg up or anything. The Earth Kingdom traditions are just very limiting for the royal family...I have to marry into nobility, and the pool to choose from isn't the best." She rolled her hazel eyes in irritation. "A lot of spoiled guys, and not a lot in your age range. So it's nice to know that I'm not wasting my time talking to this one." Katara could relate. After traveling the world, Aang was really the only guy that she'd been romantically interested in that _hadn't_ turned out to be some huge genocidal jerk.

"The stables!" They picked up speed, jogging down the manicured fields to meet the hands working there. Two servants stopped and bowed to the ladies.

"I'm looking for my leopard caribou," said Katara. "She's pretty big, white and grey with black spots, wearing a blue saddle?" The servant grimaced.

"We have her my lady," he said, bowing again. "She's at the end of the stables, in the largest stall. I'm glad that you came, she's been...troublesome." Katara nodded and took off into the barn, checking each stall as she passed it. There were komodo rhinos, mongoose lizards, ostrich horses, and buffalo yaks lining the walls, each with its own clean, comfortable stable. When she reached the end, she saw Ka curled up in a great stone stall with metal bars. She winced, knowing that her cat longed for the open tundra. When Ka saw her master, her eyes swiveled forward and she greeted her with a friendly chirp.

Aching with relief, she let her hand rest on the bars. After a moment, she remembered that Roraima was still with her. The girl leaned over her shoulder, eyes wide as she stared at the huge creature. Ka's whiskers twitched as she met the duchess's stare.

"She's beautiful," whispered Roraima. "So beautiful. What an incredible animal."

"Yeah," sighed Katara. "I wish I could keep her with me. She likes to sleep near me."

"My lady, I hate to interrupt," said a low voice behind her. Katara jumped, and whirled around to see a slim older woman, bowing like all of the other servants to them. She and Roraima dipped their heads in response. "But if the cat is gentle, she may stay in the courtyard adjoined to your room. She can hunt the birds there, and I can assign an attendant to bring her fish. She's been...stubborn, being kept in a stall. I think she would enjoy somewhere with some grass."

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Katara. "I can bring her there now!"

"If my Lady will excuse my rudeness, she will need to be moved later, after we've modified the area to her liking." She bowed again as she said this, bewildering Katara. Rudeness? How was that rude? But she knew not to question it now. "We will do it for you, she will be in the courtyard tonight."

"Thank you," responded Katara gratefully. Solitary confinement was a terrible fate to a leopard caribou; they were remarkably social animals. "She prefers deep sea fish to river, and if you have seal she'll follow you anywhere." The older woman laughed a little bit before she turned and headed for the stable manager's office.

"Is your staff like this?" asked Katara quietly as she and Roraima waved goodbye at Ka before turning to leave the stables. Roraima mused for a few seconds.

"Yeah, a little bit," she said. "I think ours are a little less formal, it's run more like a business. As long as they're doing their jobs everything is ok for us, and as long as they're paid well everything is ok for them. I think the Fire Nation culture leans a lot more towards pride in your job rather than the business in it. At least, that's how it seems to me. What about you? How's your staff at home?"

Katara laughed aloud at the thought of staff. "Me? The Southern Water Tribe is barely keeping it together right now, what with all the repairs and refugees coming in. The Fire Nation decimated our village a long time ago. I'm the only waterbender with experience there, and the only healer as wel, so I'm the most overworked person in miles." Roraima's eyes softened in sympathy.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, taking Katara's hand. "I didn't know. My parents sheltered me a lot from the ugly parts of war, I wouldn't have said something if I'd known." Katara smiled sadly.

"It's alright. I'm here, in the Fire Nation Palace, aren't I? If I was still so angry about it, there's no way I'd have ever come back. We just have to keep moving forward." She squeezes the smaller hand reassuringly. "Let's head back to our rooms. It's an early dinner, I think it starts at three...that only gives my attendants two and a half hours to put me in that dress."

The women laughed as they walked back towards the palace.

"And Roraima, I hope you get what you came for. He's a really great person."

* * *

Zuko had been burning for hours.

He raised his arms as his servants dressed him for the evening events. Instead of his traditional royal garments, he wore formal black and red robes, with a black jacket trimmed with gold on top. The style was simple, but the cut and material were unmistakably elegant. They carefully brushed and tied his hair back, placing the royal gold headpiece into the topknot.

Having gone toe to toe with the staff over dressing him, Zuko had eventually given up and allowed them to do what they wanted. At this point, he knew better than to fight his staff.

But tonight he was on edge. It had been a long time since he'd thought about women, and really he'd preferred not to. At least not in that way. After he and Mai had broken up, he had thrown himself into his work. Not only did his country need his full attention, but he'd run himself into the ground to avoid obsessing over what went wrong or what he could have done to save their relationship. It worked; it had been a long time since he'd even thought about her.

But he hadn't realized that he might actually be ready to move on and find something new. The thought _terrified_ him.

Above all, however, he simply couldn't thrust the image from the forefront of his thoughts. As he stood there, allowing himself to be pushed and pulled by a dozen careful hands, he couldn't stop thinking about the soft skin of the mysterious woman's back, or the way that the water moved down her, steam rising from the pool and sending goosebumps up her body.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to think about other things. Like this stupid formal welcoming dinner that he'd been wrangled into.

"Um...esteemed Fire Lord?" asked a small, hesitant voice. Zuko cracked one eye open in annoyance, only to find his servants struggling to button the cuffs around his smoking hands.

With a groan, he pulled his hands away.

"I got these. You're all dismissed." They bowed deeply and scuttled from the room. He tightened the cuffs in rough irritation, wishing that he could have chosen a Fire Lady his way. But his council of advisors had their toes in the waters of local and international affairs, and they knew how to pacify both his own Fire Nation citizens, as well as their sister Nations. If this was the best way to make everyone happy, then he supposed that he'd just have to do it.

Checking himself in the mirror for only a moment, he turned and headed out of his door for the main ballroom.

* * *

Sorry for the delay, boyfriend kept making me watch movies with him instead of letting me write haha. We're still sloughing a bit through introductory chapters, but I was super happy to introduce Roraima! She's going to come up quite a bit throughout the fic, an OC that I made just for this story. Obviously there will be quite a few OCs due to the nature of the fic, please feel free to let me know which ones you like and which you don't like. Or anything else, I love reviews. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLAB

Thanks for the reviews! I always appreciate them. Please read and review, let me know if you're enjoying the story or if there's something that you'd like to see, thanks!

* * *

Katara couldn't stop a whimper from escaping her when they pulled the satin strings tight across her lower back. Her attendants didn't even falter as they continued to fasten clasps and button buttons; they were excitedly discussing the banquet, to which all attendants would have seats at separate tables. They had heard that many delicacies from all nations would be served, and were comparing favorites that they'd heard of.

"Rock swan is supposed to be the softest bird in the world, I'm _telling_ you..."

"Well why the heck is it called a _rock swan_ then? If you ask me, it's going to be either phyre pheasant or the ducks from the Northern Tribe."

"Well nobody asked you, Akoati. And clearly it's not called a rock swan because it's made of rocks, dummy."

"You're a dummy, Satori!"

" _Excuse me!_ " squeaked Katara, feeling claustrophobic under several layers of cloth. "Can we finish up please? We're going to be late!" The two jumped before tying off the lace sash and hastily fixing the silver pins to her hair. It was wound around her head in an elaborate braid, held up high above the high-collared dress. Akatsa, the woman in charge of her team, rolled her eyes with a frustrated sort of patience. She was finishing the application of soft paints onto Katara's face, the whites and blues revered by her culture. The last two on her team, young men named Sirek and Baton, watched with mild humor. They had been assigned to sail the ship for her, and they were here for labor moreso than the delicate work of makeup team. When they stepped back, all five sighed and smiled.

Katara blinked before turning to look in the mirror, her breath seeming to stop in her throat.

She could hardly recognize the woman standing there. The dress fell elegantly down her figure, a midnight blue with striking periwinkle lace accents across her collar, sleeves, waist, and hem. It was tightly fit to her body, with an open back laced across the bottom with satin. Her hair framed her face prettily, silver pins marking the dark waves like stars. She blinked and breathed out slowly, unable to believe that it was really her.

Akatsa stepped forward and opened a smallish box. Inside of it was a silver chain of large dark sapphires. She lifted it and laid the heavy stones across her forehead, clasping the jewels at the back of her head.

"There's a note, Lady Katara," murmured the older woman. "It's from Chief Arnook...apparently this headpiece belonged to his daughter. He asks that you please treat it with reverence, and return it to his servants before you leave." Katara reached up and touched it gently. The full weight of her presence here had never sat heavier upon her. Her face faltered, the joy she'd been feeling at the beauty of the dress wiped away with guilt.

"Thank you, Akatsa," she said quietly. Her head bowed and she turned from the mirror. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

The group walked quickly towards the ballroom. Her own attendants were dressed in sleek blue and white uniforms, the women with their hair done up in braids. The ballroom was on the third floor, a lovely dining area with a view over the city.

"Hey, sugar queen!"

Katara turned around to see Toph and a troupe of Earth Kingdom servants, her arms crossed over...was that a _chest?_ She was looking uncharacteristically feminine in a floor length tan slip and a light green jacket buttoned high on her neck. Gold accents decorated the jacket, as well as her hair and neck. Even her makeup was gold.

"Toph! Come on, let's walk down together!" She reached out and grabbed her friend's sleeve, careful not to pull too hard as she linked arms. Toph smiled and tightened her grip.

"Oh, how sweet." A high, lyrical voice from behind the two girls interrupted the moment. Katara turned around to see a women around her own age, a Fire Nation noble with her hair twisted up around a flowered red and gold fan. She had calculative amber eyes, and full lips twisted up into a condescending smile. The look that she gave Katara put the waterbender on edge. She had to be a bender; something about her made her want to slide into a defensive stance. "They let the commoners in. I'm surprised that you're not sprinting down the hall for food, _villager_." The cold dislike in the way she said the word made Katara bare her teeth.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" she snarled, ice creeping into her veins. If Aang had been here with her, he'd have told her to drop it. That she wasn't worth it. But instead she had Toph, and Toph was already poised to fight this girl.

"Well they let _you_ in...shouldn't you be sprinting down the hall for an inheritance?" she spat, lips curved into a smirk. The girl's gaze snapped to the earthbender, her delicate gold earrings quivering as she sized the two of them up. One of her servants whispered something into her ear, and her sneer relaxed into a composed smile again.

"Hm. Master Katara and Toph Bei Fong. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see either of you here. I hear your families are quite desperate." She walked past them slowly, her heels the only sound in the empty halls. "Don't get in my way. I know you need pocket change, but Fire Lady is a title for a Fire. Lady." She paused, her back to them, and then continued with her small entourage through the double doors.

Katara hated whoever that woman was, particularly for insulting the humble but admirable title of villagers, but she also sort of wondered the same thing. Why was Zuko opening the invitation to other nations? And it couldn't possibly be helping his campaign, could it? The wounds were still fresh from the war, his people probably wanted their royal family to be familiar and trustworthy faces. Hosting women from other nations could come across as some sort of setup for shifty business from a ruling class. She was sure that some people would see it that way.

But she had to trust that he knew what he was doing. Katara held a lot of influence, particularly in her own tribe and with the Avatar as well, but there was nothing that she could really do with the Fire Nation.

Well, hopefully one thing she could do, actually.

She and Toph exchanged deep sighs before following the dark haired girl into the ballroom.

Katara hated to admit how impressed she was. All four walls were decorated with a different nation's colors and regalia, and tall windows cast the room in a golden glow. There were several tables; one large one by the windows, two long ones perpendicular to the head table, and several smaller tables along the sides for the attendants. Katara's rushed off to find their seats, excited to have fun after so many years of war and struggle. They didn't exactly treat her like a princess, but she couldn't blame them. She hadn't _been_ a princess to them.

"Hey, we're at different tables," said Toph in annoyance. "It looks like it's all separated by titles. I'm a pretty big name heiress, but the head table is all the princesses and duchesses and whatever. Fancy people." She rolled her eyes. "Fire Lord Sparky better look out, or he's going to hurt my feelings." Katara highly doubted that, and not only because the seating had clearly been handled by an unbiased third party (albeit one who clearly thought less of people without titles). But Toph also seemed more interested in the food than the actual festivities; she began to wander in the direction of the table with rock swan. "Go ahead, sugar queen. I'd bet that you're at the head table." She elbowed Katara rather roughly before heading for the food.

Katara, surprised, glanced towards the biggest table. She wandered over, weaving through several groups of ladies with families or attendants. Most looked at her with interest; they had likely never seen a Southern Water Tribe woman before. She met eyes with the two duchesses from her sister tribe, who both smiled and waved. As she waved back, she made a mental note to invite them over for breakfast in her room sometime. She'd spent months learning under Master Pakku, but hadn't had the time to socialize with too many people. She vaguely remembered meeting Yue's two girl cousins back then, but only briefly; they had been attending school on the other side of the city, and had really only come to see the Avatar. They were both very pretty. One was the girl she saw outside of the palace, the green-eyed girl with a solemn face. The other had dark hair and eyes, and an extremely friendly smile.

She continued to the head table, curiously checking the name cards. Each card was marked with their name and title, as well as the symbol of their native nation. She noticed that most were fire nation noblewomen, duchesses and countesses and some family members. She saw Duchess Roraima towards the end of the table, and the girls from the Northern Water Tribe. Walking around the table, she was shocked to see herself seated next to Zuko.

 _'Well...I guess I'm technically the only princess,"_ she thought with surprise and a tinge of guilt. _'It's not really fair, I'm not even here for that. Maybe I should swap seats with Roraima, she's really sweet, I think he'd like her.'_

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats!"

Katara pulled her chair out self consciously. A few Fire Nation women gave her dirty looks, but she was pretty sure that that had more to do with her nationality than her seat. Or maybe a little bit of both. A horn played somewhere behind her, and she intensely wished that she was sitting next to Toph at the side table. She could see her friend snickering and making jokes with the party next to her, who were already catching on to her contagious humor.

The doors at the other end of the room opened, and all parties stood in respect as the Fire Lord and his party entered. Several older men marched behind him, as well as what looked like a nervous young secretary at his right. The older men broke off and took their places at their own private table; Zuko walked with authority to his designated seat. Katara had almost forgotten to stand when she saw him. She had so many memories of setting up tents with him, kicking his bedroll when he snored too loud, and bickering over seconds at dinner, that she'd forgotten that he was the leader of a nation now. And it was courtesy for her to stand at his formal events, as it would be for him in the Southern Water Tribe for her.

"Welcome to the Fire Nation Palace," he said in that low voice, the new one that suited his age and stature. It had the same timbre as the one she remembered, but hearing it still threw her off, like he was a total stranger instead of the boy who'd flown around the world with her. "I'm pleased to see how many of you responded to my invitation. This dinner is to honor families from all nations, in this opportunity to further unify our restoration efforts and join families together in preparation for a new future. Please enjoy dinner together; I encourage all of you to make friends and expand your knowledge of other nations as the world moves forward together." He smiled and bowed respectfully to the families, who clapped politely and took their seats. Katara smiled and leaned over.

"Nice!" she laughed, reassured by his relaxed expression. "I see you've been practicing your public speaking. I don't think I remember if you ever liked it or not."

" _Not_ ," he said firmly, choosing a prime piece of meat from the dish in front of him. The low murmur of conversation began to fill the room. "I had to practice that like six times this morning. I hate speeches, but apparently it's really important for me to do them all the time." He began to cut apart the tender beef. "How's your family?"

"Well, my dad is really busy with managing village expansions and rationing supplies, but Sokka is having a really good time in the Kyoshi Islands. He's been on and off visiting Suki, sometimes she comes to see him, but I don't think she likes the cold too much." She went on about her village, into the expansions and the progress, but didn't feel like it was the right time to bring up the issues with their captain. She'd probably have to talk to him privately; there were a lot of ears here, and she knew that political issues, especially those of trade, were extremely sensitive. If she wanted more, other figures might approach him with similar requests.

"That's good, I'm glad to hear that your tribe is doing better. How's Toph? I haven't heard from her in a while," he asked idly, taking a sip from the heavy silver goblet by his plate. Katara did the same, and was surprised to taste a strong sort of drink, clearly alcoholic. She set it aside, not having had too much of the sort in the south.

"Um...she's right over there," she coughed, pointing. Zuko stopped eating abruptly, his fork dropping onto the table. It was like somebody died; his attendants rushed him as if they'd been waiting for this moment.

"Esteemed Fire Lord?!" they burst, flying into comically low bows. Katara almost giggled, they looked so absurd. And from the look on Zuko's face, he was a breath away from an annoyed groan.

"Toph Bei Fong. Why is the not at my table?" His voice was surprisingly calm for the irritated look in his eyes. "Are you not aware that she was part of the special team that overthrew my father?" They fell into stunned silence, mouths open as they processed what he just said. They abruptly broke into a panicked frenzy of productivity. One ran to the girl across from Katara, apparently the lowest ranking person at the table. Her jaw dropped in indignation as they begged for her pardon and insisted that her party move. Blushing deeply, she threw Katara a hateful look before lifting her skirts and leaving with the shards of her dignity. Katara huffed. Apparently, since she didn't want to blame the leader of her nation, the girl next to him was an easy target.

Toph fell into the chair, her smile easy and mischievous. She had a silver cup in her hand, which sloshed a bit as she sat.

"About time you noticed me, sparky," she said cheerfully, taking another sip. Zuko smiled despite half the table gasping in horror at the nickname for their Fire Lord. "I thought you'd gotten all high and mighty, being the baddest mouth-breather in the land now." She stabbed a leg of chicken-pig, bringing it straight to her mouth. Zuko laughed.

"You haven't changed a bit," he replied. "Aang is all serious now and Katara's gotten prissier, I guess I expected something new. Maybe meaner." Toph burst out laughing as Katara's expression changed from mild to heated in under a sentence.

"He's right," she gasped, almost crying. "Have you seen Aang lately? Oh _s_ _pirits_ that boy has gotten hilarious. 'Avatar' this and 'world peace' that...that's dead on!" Katara sighed, allowing herself a small smile. Yeah, Aang had started taking himself a bit too seriously lately. But _her? Prissy?_

"I'm not prissy," she muttered, stabbing the fire-roasted seal.

"It's not a bad thing," Zuko consoled her. "It comes with the seat. I'm prissier too, I guess." She looked up, feeling odd when she saw his playful smile. Maybe he hadn't changed so much. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go around and greet everybody. I'll catch up with both of you later, have a good dinner!" He touched Katara's back briefly as he spoke, then rose and straightened his jacket. Katara glanced back at Toph, who was blithely nibbling on bits of melon.

"Hey Katara...check out the other end of the table."

She turned her head slightly, only just allowing her ocean blue eyes to turn to the side. She could see the girl from before staring hard at them, her eyes narrowed as she ignored the plates of food in front of her. She glowered intensely...but as Zuko approached her, the anger melted almost imperceptibly into a simpering sweetness. Katara almost choked on her bread.

" _Wow._ I think it's our duty as his friends to keep him on track for finding a decent wife. He's going to be ripped apart, this was a _terrible_ idea!" They laughed quietly together. "I hate to say it, but you might be the best option that he's got. Zuko doesn't really warm up to people, at least he knows you."

"He knows you too, princess," said Toph leadingly, her eyebrows raised. Katara snorted.

"He knows I'm taken. And my dad would kill him if he even _thought_ about it. _And_ he's not my type." She took a tiny bite of the breaded fish.

"I don't see a betrothal necklace," murmured Toph innocently. She couldn't see the glare that Katara shot her, but she could probably feel it. "And I wouldn't throw out the option. He's not exactly disgusted by you. I can tell." She retained her blissfully unaware façade while Katara sputtered.

"We're _friends_ ," she practically snarled. When some people turned their faces towards her, she blushed deeply and lowered her voice. "We're friends. We all are. I don't want to make it weird, so don't make it weird, Toph!" Slightly grumpier, she returned to her food. Toph didn't comment further, but Katara could have sworn that she had a smug little smirk.

Before long, a group of musicians started to play softly. Everybody was getting cheerful, possibly due to the strong drinks going around, but Katara would rather keep her head tonight than drink. She couldn't say the same for Toph, who was getting more and more pink the longer the dinner went on. Performers took to the stage, gymnasts and dancers who entertained the guests through impressive feats of strength, agility, and flexibility. Katara, feeling full, sat back to watch them spin around as the night started to wind down and guests began to gather their parties to leave for the evening.

Katara stood too, looking around to find her attendants but seeing none. They might have gone back to the room already, loaded up with delicious food and drink, maybe some tipsy companions. She needed to find Zuko, to set aside some time to discuss the issues with reparations. She'd sailed for weeks to get here; she was eager to uphold her duties to her village as quickly as possible, so she could get back and continue rebuilding. She wondered if Kana had given birth yet.

There! He was shaking hands with a Fire Nation noblewoman, who bowed her head and smiled coquettishly through lowered eyelashes. As she turned to leave, Katara rushed up, cutting off another group coming to thank the Fire Lord for the banquet and bid him good night.

"Zuko! Can we talk for a second? Privately?" she asked, conscious of the irritated party behind her. "I just need a second." He nodded, pacifying the second group and following her as she tugged his sleeve to a more secluded part of the room. Maybe it wasn't proper of her, but she had priorities too. She checked to make sure that nobody was paying attention.

"Is something wrong?" he asked quietly, shifting his gaze around the big room. She was surprised that he'd jump to that conclusion, being surrounded by so many guards, but had to assume that his time as Fire Lord had been rife with danger. The thought made her a bit sad...she'd felt in danger in her tribe, surrounded by family and friends. Did he have any here?

"N-no," she said quickly. "It's just...we need to talk about the reparations with my tribe. Not right now, but soon? If you can?" She'd meant to sound more formal, but it just didn't come out like that. She'd never felt more self conscious of her lack of schooling, and the thought made her blush in frustrated embarrassment. It wasn't _her_ fault that she hadn't been able to get royal classes like he had. But the anger faded when he touched her arm gently.

"Tomorrow, after my afternoon meeting?" he proposed, brushing aside the formalities. "They filled my schedule up with too much crap to get anything done in the morning, I'll find you before dinner, if that works for you." She nodded, her blush fading into a smile. He really hadn't changed all that much.

"Thanks, Zuko. I'll see you tomorrow." She returned his bow, then turned and headed for the double doors.

If she'd glanced back, she'd have seen the stunned look on his face as she revealed her backless dress.

* * *

Katara was glad to be rid of the heavy, ungainly dress. It was incredibly beautiful, but just so tightly cut that it was extremely restricting, an uncomfortable place for a waterbender to be in. She breathed a sigh of relief as Satori unwound the lace from the back of it, releasing her ribs and stomach from the unyielding confines.

"Knock knock!"

Recognizing the voice, Katara wobbled towards the door, Satori diligently unwrapping satin as she moved. She opened the door to see Roraima on the other side, her smile cheerful as she held out two chocolate pastries.

"You forgot dessert. Also, you looked great tonight! I wish I'd been closer, so I could have told you." She handed Katara the other pastry as she walked in, already dressed down into a smooth green slip for the evening. "I was stuck with some snotty Fire Nation woman. She really seemed to look down on me, even though I technically outrank her. She was just some local rich girl, I have no idea how she even ended up at the head table."

"I think I know who you're talking about," sighed Katara. "We ran into somebody like that before. I don't know what her deal is."

"Yeah. I get that competition get some people upset, but I wish that it didn't have to be like that sometimes." Roraima shrugged and sank into a nearby couch. Katara sat down next to her, nearly out of that awful dress. "I mean, he's really interested in you, but I don't hold that against you. Nothing personal, it's just politics," said Roraima carelessly. Katara started to nod, but stopped abruptly as she realized what her friend said.

"What? He's not interested in me! We're old friends, we go way back! We were just talking about family!" Katara exclaimed, wondering if she'd missed some part of their conversation. Toph had said something similar, but from the words she'd exchanged with Zuko, there was nothing remotely romantic between them. Just like Roraima had said; it was just politics.

Roraima held up her hands defensively. "Hey, don't get on me, I'm just calling it like I see it. I couldn't hear what you were talking about, but I can read body language." She poured herself a cup of water from the jug on the small side table. "He's not _not_ interested. Which is more than I can say for me...I got all of two seconds to even introduce myself before little miss condescending interrupted me."

Katara shook her head, pushing the thought from her mind. No way he thought of her like that. She pulled her feet up under her and indulged in her friend's venting.

* * *

Not the longest chapter that I've written, but I got some more key players and events in. Please review and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA nor any of its characters.

Hey all! Sorry for the delay, I'm managing two fics right now, and it's tough to get more than one chapter up a day, since I like to have them at least 5k words if I can. Glad you all liked my last chapter, please enjoy my next one!

And thanks for all the reviews! I seriously wish that Katara and Zuko were canon too...apparently, the creators seriously considered it, but ended up going with Kataang :/ even though they had literally like no mutual interest until the very end of the series. I mean, I guess Zuko and Katara didn't really either, but at least he was in her age range. Aang always seemed too much of a kid for it to me. Idk. I just wish we'd gotten a little bit of Zutara ;-;

Anyways, please read and review!

* * *

Despite the bright, beautiful day, Sokka glowered over the cheerfully blue waves. Few things could have upset the Water Tribe boy today, but his father had somehow found the exact thing to set him off.

Katara was going to the Fire Nation under the invitation of Fire Lord Zuko. The _marital_ invitation of Fire Lord Zuko.

He ground his teeth, unable to feel calmed by the relaxing ride. He had nothing to do today; his father's crew carried out most of the chores, leaving very little for their Chief and his family. All he'd been doing for a week now was fishing and basking in the sunlight that was so rare in the south. On top of that, Suki was here, along with a handful of her most trusted Kyoshi warriors. She'd apparently been commissioned by Zuko's royal advisors, who had secretly told her that he'd been dealing with uprisings and assassination attempts. Sokka had shrugged that off; if old fire-breath was as nasty of a fighter as he remembered, he didn't really _need_ the Kyoshi warriors.

Suki, however, had taken the request very seriously. She was a bit like Aang, taking the whole 'world unification' thing to another level. Additionally, however, her service to the Fire Nation wasn't without compensation. She was going to use the money to build a school on Kyoshi Island, hire educators from across the planet to put Kyoshi on the map economically. She had big dreams for her people, like Sokka did for his.

Not for the first time, he wished that he'd been home when Katara had received the news. At _least_ he could have gotten a word in then, told everybody what a bad idea it was. Not that he thought that Katara was going with the express intention to marry their old arch-enemy...but she was there practically alone, without her friends or family to protect her, without anybody to guide her, in a foreign country where their _old arch-enemy_ was literally the end all be all of justice. The most powerful person in the nation. His word was basically law...and yes, he might have helped Aang to defeat his father, but it's not like Sokka wanted his sister to _marry_ the guy!

"Sokka, you need to relax," said Suki soothingly, her hands pressing to his shoulders. Sokka scowled deeply, wanting to turn into her gentle touch, but feeling too annoyed about the whole situation to give in to her persuasions yet. Here he was, wanting to spend the summer with Suki in the South Pole, and instead he was sailing across an ocean so he could drag his sister home. Wasting _weeks_ of his summer. " _Sokka!_ "

"Sorry, Suki," he mumbled, his blue eyes still turned down towards the waves. "I can't relax. Not until we get there and sort all of this out."

"Sokka, you need to trust your sister," said the Kyoshi warrior, frowning. Even without her war paint and elaborate armor, Suki always somehow exuded an air of reason and regality. Sokka generally admired this quality in her, but today he was only stubborn. He turned his head away from her, annoyed. Suki recognized his posture, and sighed a little bit before sidling closer. His furrowed brow softened slightly. "I know you're worried. I'm _sure_ she's fine. Zuko is a good guy, remember? He's one of us! He invited _all_ of us to the palace, not just Katara. And this also just doesn't feel like something he'd initiate. I'm pretty sure that he's following some sort of tradition or code, probably from before the rule of Fire Lord Sozin. You shouldn't be upset; he's acknowledging the Southern Water Tribe as a sovereign nation by doing this. He's treating her and your family with the respect of a royal family, and this is part of that."

He felt his frown slide slightly. Suki really knew how to reach him...he gave her a frustrated grunt.

"Why can't you just let me sulk?" he mumbled, burying his head in his folded arms. "You think I don't know that stuff? I know he's a good guy, I know he's doing this to acknowledge the other nations, I just...I don't know. She's my sister. It's weird enough that she's with Aang, but _Zuko?_ That's too weird. He's older, I don't know. Probably more...adult. Aang is such a safe option, and she's _with him_! Should she really be going there at all? Does he even know?" He vented lightly, trying to get Suki to understand. She held his hand tightly.

"I know. But it's Katara's life...and anyways, it's like your dad said. She's not there to get married, she's there to solve your problems with the reparations. So relax, okay? Come and fish with me." Her blue eyes widened, smile quirked as she smoothly charmed him back into a good mood. Sokka sighed before letting his hand come up to gently touch her cheek. She leaned into his touch.

"I knew you were going to be a good influence on me," he said with mock grumpiness. "Katara kept saying it."

"See? Told you she's smart. Now come on, sad face. Let's go have some fun." She tugged on his arm until he followed her below deck to find some fishing poles.

Chief Hakoda watched his son get tugged below deck with a sad smile. Sokka was really growing up, and Suki was probably the one to thank for that. He constantly felt guilt over the childhood that he'd missed with his children, despite the circumstances. He was so proud of the progress that Sokka and Katara had made, how much they'd grown over the years...without his help or guidance. He felt that deep despair at not knowing the man and woman that his two children had become.

But Sokka's words had struck home, when he'd given him the run down of their journey. The young man had drawn up to his full height -for the first time, Chief Hakoda noticed that his son was now just as tall as him- and had stormed furiously from the room, at a loss for words. Chief Hakoda had felt the same sort of way when he'd seen the letter; he knew the young man ruling the Fire Nation, knew how he'd trained the Avatar and overthrown his own father to secure the future of the world. He had earned the Chiefs' respect through his open and active dedication to the success of their Nations.

He had certainly grown. And despite the scar that disfigured his face, he'd grown into a handsome man. Handsome, intelligent, good-hearted...everything that would be appealing to his daughter. With whom he was already friends.

Chief Hakoda wished whole heartedly that he could bless off on any relationship that Katara wanted to have. He like Aang personally. The kid was good, though maybe somewhat behind his daughter in maturity. But a lifetime of fighting firebenders and Fire Nation soldiers, of watching them burn people alive, commit atrocities beyond what he thought humans were capable of...how could he ever look at Zuko and not see a killer?

He closed his eyes against the cool wind, warmer every day that they got further from the South Pole. He knew that he should trust his daughter, or if she did decide to go along with whatever the invitation detailed, he should be able to support her. It didn't feel right to oppose a young woman that, ultimately, he knew little about. But how could he?

He watched his son fling out a line with Suki. The girl that continued to impress him every day with her intelligence, kindness, and patience. He smiled as Sokka yelped, tangled in his own lines, and Suki began to pull him loose with a few giggles. Maybe one day he'd carve a necklace for that girl, or dig into whatever traditions she had on her island. It was about time for Sokka to be married, and he seemed more than happy with Suki. He made a mental note to talk with his son at some point before leaving the Fire Nation.

But for the moment, his focus would need to be on his daughter, and her progress with the task at hand. Hopefully they'd be getting reimbursed for stolen goods well before winter, and his people would be safe.

* * *

Katara smiled as Ka chased after her own tail enthusiastically, enjoying the open air of the courtyard.

The big cat had been notably easier to handle after her move; her own attendants spent long hours playing with her, grooming her, and feeding her, and she had plenty of grass to roll in. She flicked her wrist, bending the mist rising from the bathing pool and turning it with a quick breath into snow, letting it cover a good half of the courtyard. The cat played joyfully in the snow, her tail lashing as she buried her face and massive front paws in it.

"Lady Katara?" A soft voice interrupted her relaxing bath, and she turned with a friendly smile. Satori was standing in the door, her eyes covered bashfully with her hand. She was only fourteen; about Katara's age when she'd discovered Aang in the iceberg. She'd been a child when Katara had left the village, only having grown into her big ears sometime within the last year. She was rather intimidated by the renowned waterbender, who had traveled the world with the Avatar, despite having known her from birth. Katara couldn't help wishing that the girl would relax some.

"Come in, Satori," she called, waving her forward. The girl took only a few steps into the courtyard.

"Um...there's someone here, with a message for you," she stammered, her eyes still covered. Katara's eyebrows rose.

"From the Fire Lord? Huh, I didn't think it would only be one day. Alright, well, what does it say?" She sat up in the pool, still fully submerged in the warm water. She'd only just finished her bath; she'd been hoping to soak for a little while longer, but she was also eager to move forward on her task here.

"One of his servants dropped it off, a lady with a red dress and a tan hat. Sort of young, maybe a little bit younger than you? She said her name was Sina, and she's helps manage his schedule. She says you're penned in for today, the Fire Lord himself wrote it into her book. Um, I'm not exactly sure when you're supposed to go, but she sounded pretty hassled. So I think you're supposed to go soon, maybe..." she broke off, blushing darkly after delivering her message. Katara sighed, and nodded. Of course she wouldn't get to soak. Oh well, duty called. As Satori left the room, she stood and bended the excess water from her skin.

When she got back to her room, there was a fresh dress laid out. It was a simple cut, made in the Northern Water Tribe, but styled after Southern traditional tunics that she often wore at home. It was a thick, soft blue material, though more breathable than what she'd wear at the South Pole, and without the trousers that she'd wear. She slipped into it, noticing the delicate white embroidery as she put it on. It was a very finely made dress, the fur on the collar and sleeves more for decoration than practicality, and certainly made her feel her rank. She mentally thanked Akatsa, certain that the older woman had made the decision for her team. She seemed to always know what was appropriate to wear to what events.

Katara noticed a silver comb for her hair on the bed as well, a heavy, decorative piece shaped carefully into snowflakes. She slid the comb into her thick hair, winding it so the brown locks fell neatly behind her.

Dressed and feeling pretty good, Katara left her room.

As soon as she shut the door, she realized that she wasn't sure where she was supposed to meet Zuko.

" _Satori!_ " she yelled, after a groan. Of _course_. "Satori?" No response. She flung the door back open, but everybody was gone; probably headed for the kitchens, to snag food. She might not have time to wait; due to the vagueness of her message, she had no idea if soon was _right now_ or in an hour. She waited for a few seconds before marching off. _'I've flown around the world. I can find one stupid guy in a palace.'_

She backtracked to the ballroom, wondering if there would be any servants around there, but didn't see any. None were in the halls either. ' _The kitchens! There's always some in the kitchens._ ' She wished deeply that she'd asked for a tour of the palace, back when she'd first gotten there. Although she was sure that there would be areas off-limits to foreign nationals, at least she'd have some idea of the comings and goings of people here. Especially if she was going to _live_ here.

She was running for the kitchens, wishing that she'd asked Satori for more details, when she turned a corner and ran smack into Toph.

Sort of.

Toph had stuck her arms out, grabbing Katara before the waterbender could bounce off and hit the floor. Toph had set her feet already, sensing the older girl sprinting around the corners before anybody else would have, so she didn't budge an inch when Katara slammed into her.

"Geez, Katara, what the heck are you doing?!" she laughed, setting the waterbender back upright. Katara groaned; running into Toph was pretty similar to running into a boulder. She was a seriously solid girl. "Is that girl from the ball chasing you or something? Or is it somebody else?" Toph wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Katara managed a weak laugh, her lungs still feeling partially collapsed.

"Ah...ack...nobody's chasing me," she coughed, eyes watering. She wondered briefly if she'd bruised a rib. "I have a meeting with Zuko, I literally came here to talk about our shipments, and I can't find him!" She covered her face with her hands. "I know I can meet him again later, I just, I don't know, I just don't want to waste time. I feel like I'm wasting time." That was really the thing that bothered her. She'd spent the last few days settling in and going to fancy dinners, but back home her own people suffered. She knew that Zuko would be busy with meetings and speeches and whatnot, and that her role as an ambassador for her nation was to represent her people's culture and courtesies, but she was starting to feel antsy.

"Well alright then, princess, I got you," said Toph, quirking a half smile. She took a deep breath, spread her feet, and thrust her hands towards the ground. ' _Oh...the palace is made of stone!'_ Her eyes closed as she focused, her mind flitting from body to body around the palace until she found the one that they were looking for. "Sparky is on the first floor, go back towards the throne room and there's a hall to the left, follow it to the third door on the right. Anything else?"

"No, thanks Toph!" Katara took off running as she waved, the blind earthbender returning with an exaggerated curtsey. She disappeared from view as Katara sprinted to the throne room, skidding to the left as she turned the corner into the hall.

Panting, she stopped at the third door, her dress wrinkled and her hair falling all over her face. With a deep breath, she straightened, pushing back the thick brown waves with practiced hands, smoothing them so that they fell elegantly down her shoulders. She tugged at the dress, making sure that it was neat before she knocked on the door. ' _Princess...you're a princess, Katara. Act like one._ ' Before she could think about how exactly princesses _acted_ , the door opened.

"Katara," said Zuko in surprise, his eyebrows raising. "I didn't think you'd be here so soon. How did you find me? I thought we were meeting in the war room." His expression was mildly perplexed as he stepped back to let her into the office. She blushed, forgetting that he'd gotten so much taller in the last two years. She barely reached his shoulder now, which was all the more strange due to the fact that she remembered him as being only slightly taller than her. The royal armaments were probably not helping either, making him look broader and more intimidating. She swallowed. ' _I'm a princess. He's just...he's still Zuko. Nothing has changed._ ' Had it?

"Can we sit?" she asked, pleased that her voice had come out clear and strong. He nodded and led her to a small table, likely where he took tea during the day. She seated herself on the floor cushions as he sat across from her.

"Sina! Jasmine tea!"

"Yes, Fire Lord." The young woman at a desk in the corner of the room jumped to her feet, bowed, and quickly walked out.

"Wow, getting a little demanding, huh?" she teased, unable to stop herself. He half smiled grimly.

"Yeah, I wish it wasn't like this, but that's how service in the palace is. The Fire Lady and royal family get to be nice and polite, but they expect the Fire Lord to be more authoritative. Trust me, they don't take it personally." He spoke with the tiredness of a man who'd fought this fight before, and likely been shot down by whoever was running his household.

"I didn't mean to come off like that," she said, blushing. "Sorry. Sometimes it's hard to remember that we've all been living different lives for a few years." She folded her hands, averting her gaze from his intense gold stare. He paused before turning his head to the side.

"I know what you mean. It's alright, I was the same for a while; I had to have a prep team for a _year_ , just for managing public appearances." When she glanced back up, he gave her a friendly smile. "I know things are probably different in the South Pole. Your leadership styles have historically been a lot more grounded than ours. I envy that sometimes." He spoke to her with the dignity afforded to a woman of her station. Katara wished that she'd been able to grow up with the sense of regality that had always seemed to have been inherent to him. Moreso when she was sitting across the table from him, his cool, confident gaze focused on her.

"Yeah, I know your nation is a lot more traditional than ours. At least when it comes to ceremonies." She was glad that she knew enough from her travels to be able to talk confidently about this stuff. If she'd grown up without war, would there be a Water Tribe finishing school of some sorts? "You're definitely changed a lot since the last time we've seen each other." _Too_ much, maybe, but she didn't say. She could hardly recognize the man sitting across from her, except for his ever-present scar. When Sina came hurrying back with a steaming pot of water, she felt mild relief; at least they weren't alone together. Sina poured them each a cup before bowing deeply and backing away from the table.

"Leave us." _Or not._

Katara watched as he sipped delicately at the boiling hot tea, before setting it down and leaning on the low table.

"Now, what did you need to discuss with me?" he asked, his voice taking on the somber quality of a ruler. Katara froze, before clearing her throat and remembering what she was here for.

"The shipments," she said quickly, picking up her tea. It was boiling hot; she cooled it quickly with a quiet, iced breath. His eyebrows rose slightly, impressed. "The reparations that have been arriving at the Southern Water Tribe have been substandard, well below what was hashed out during the last meeting here. My father and I think, from the attitude of the captain delivering the supplies, that he's been stealing at least half of everything that's been delivered." She sipped the tea as Zuko mulled this information over, his brow furrowed.

"That's a serious accusation," he murmured, hands folding. "But one that I'm not able to disregard. You said less than half of the reparations? For how long?"

"We think it's been about a year; at first, it was only a few boxes here and there, but we were willing to overlook it. We understand how sailing can be. But for the last three months, it's been thousands of gold, and entire compartments of building supplies. My dad has a tracker that he's been keeping, he'll be bringing it with him when he arrives. I think he should get here sometime in the next four days." He nodded silently as she spoke, staring down at the table. Finally, his gaze rose to meet hers.

"I can't just fire or move him," said Zuko slowly, his hand rubbing his chin. "I wish I could, but the best that I can do is initiate an investigation."

Katara stared at him blankly for a few seconds before realizing that she wasn't going to get what she came for. Her anger began to override her formal manners, the veneer of regality that never really belonged to her. She stood abruptly, surprising Zuko.

"How long is this investigation going to take?" she demanded, her eyes turning cold. Zuko remained seated, his mouth slightly open.

"Um...it usually takes a few months, at least. Captain Tung is from a big family in the Fire Nation, so he'll probably have a lot of people with power on his side. It's not going to be as easy as banishing him. And I believe you, but in the eyes of a lot of people here, you have good reason to lie. We'd have to compile a lot of evidence before making it public." He didn't look at her while he spoke, instead focusing on the gently steaming cup of tea. Katara huffed angrily.

"We don't have months," she said angrily. "My people are struggling as it is, we need those supplies before the winter, or people are going to start dying! I've been doing the best I can, but we need so much to make it through the year. Zuko, my family has supported you, we need you to support us now!" She couldn't stop the anger from leeching into her voice. He finally looked up, his gold eyes unreadable.

"Katara...let's talk somewhere tomorrow," he said quietly. "I understand where you're coming from. We can't talk about this stuff here though. Can we go somewhere private?" She froze, momentarily confused, before slowly sinking back to the floor across from him.

"Do I have a choice?" she couldn't help asking bitterly, refilling her tea. He gave her a grim smile as he drained his.

"Not if you want your stolen reparations. Sorry Katara, comes with representing your nation." He reached across the table unexpectedly, and took Katara's hand. She felt her cheeks flush slightly at the contact. "The Jade Dragon, it's a tea shop just outside of the palace. Let's meet there tomorrow, is noon alright?" She narrowed her eyes, but didn't see too many options. She took a sip, swirled the drink in her mouth while she considered it.

"Yeah, I guess so," she said, annoyed at being cornered into waiting another day. He smiled and squeezed her hand before releasing it.

"I'm on your side," he said in a low voice. "I'm your friend, Katara. But I have to be the Fire Lord too now. Thanks for meeting with me; tomorrow at noon, I'll tell you what's going on. Be patient. I'll make sure your tribe survives the winter, but I can't do it alone." He stood, signaling that their meeting was over. Katara quickly finished her drink and stood with him.

Katara was shocked when he bowed and kissed her fingers. Her cheeks reddened unexpectedly.

"Lady Katara." She heard the familiar mild humor in his voice; it sounded lighter, more like it had years ago, when she'd known him as merely a prince. She smirked before dropping into an only slightly exaggerated curtsey, bowing her head.

"Fire Lord." She turned with a whirl of blue skirts, leaving him in his office.

'S _trange, that he can't talk about it here,'_ she wondered to herself as she passed through the imposing throne room. _'I'd thought that the Fire Nation rulers could just banish people. Maybe they're more like my tribe than I thought. Or maybe they're starting to be.'_ Lost in her thoughts, Katara wandered through winding halls, until she turned the same corner and saw Toph waiting for her, leaning against a wall with a little smirk playing on her lips.

"Toph! Were you here the whole time?" asked Katara, her arms unfolding in surprise. The earthbender shrugged, pretending to examine her fingernails. "Quit it, I know you can't see them."

"So...what happened with you and the Fire Lord? That wasn't a very long meeting." Katara's jaw dropped.

"You were _spying_ on me?!" she yelped, her voice coming out higher pitched than she had intended. She scowled, hands on her hips, full on sugar queen. " _Toph_ , that was a private meeting! A business meeting! So stop _smiling_ like that!"

The young earthbender was laughing helplessly, her tough-girl stance folding. Katara's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Alright, alright, relax, Katara," she giggled, leaning against the wall and wiping her eyes. "You make it so easy to get under your skin. All I said was that it was a short meeting. I'm waiting to use the war room, me and some of the earthbending ladies are having lunch. Not my idea. But they want to talk about some rebuilding alliances and whatever, so I guess I'm obligated to be there. Anyways, I'm supposed to come and hold the war room while they put fancy dresses on. Trying to be nice. I just noticed you came back pretty quick. I guess it didn't go too well?"

Katara's scowl eased into an annoyed frown, before she finally rolled her eyes and groaned.

"I don't know. I guess good...maybe bad." She sat down on a chaise, dropping her head into her hands. "I talked to him about the reparations stuff, but he sort of brushed me off. Or I guess he didn't, he said he was my friend. I don't know. I'm meeting him tomorrow for tea, so I guess it's not a total loss; I think if I take time tonight, and really get read up on Fire Nation politics, I can probably-" she stopped abruptly when Toph elbowed her sharply, sending the breath from her lungs. As she gasped, Toph snickered.

"Sounds like you've got a date, sugar," said Toph cheerily. Katara gaped at her friend, the color draining from her face.

" _What_?! It's not a date! We're talking business! It's about the survival of my tribe!" Katara felt an odd, invasive guilt tinge the rush of anger.

"Yeah, over tea, someplace quiet I bet?" sighed Toph, pushing off the wall as several people exited the war room. "Look, it doesn't mean anything to me, but I think you should talk to Aang about this, when you see him. I know you don't think this is anything, but he should at least know the circumstances you're here under."

"I haven't seen Aang in a long time," said Katara quietly, sadly. "I know that's not really an excuse, but I know he'll understand when I get the chance to talk to him."

"He'll understand the reparations problems, I'm sure. What I'm not so sure about is how he'll feel about you and Zuko. None of my business, I'm just putting it out there. Have a good one, sugar." The heiress waved behind her as she strolled into the war room, leaving Katara feeling more confused than ever before.

She stood there for a long time after Toph had left, even after the earth kingdom duchesses and noblewomen, with full entourages, passed into the room after her. When the hall was quiet, she finally left in search of her rooms.

When she entered, nobody else was there. She fell into a loveseat, untying her boots and leaning back until her hair hung over the arm of the seat. Her blue eyes roamed the trappings of the room, banners decorated with the Southern Water Tribe symbol, carefully intertwined with white skins to provide familiarity and comfort. Despite the care put into making these rooms as reflective of her tribe as was possible, Katara felt totally lost and alone here.

Did she have a date with Zuko? What would Aang say? What would her _family_ think? She covered her eyes with her hands, glad for once that she was alone; she let out a slow breath, regaining a semblance of control over her raging thoughts. She'd have to draw a line tomorrow. She was a princess in her own right, she shouldn't feel nervous about telling someone to back off. Assuming that he was coming on to her anyways. Which he probably wasn't...Toph was probably reading into things too much.

Wasn't she?

* * *

Thanks for the reviews! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, next one coming up soon! Please let me know what you guys think, I always love to hear from you!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA

Thanks for the reviews everybody! Thanks for the interest in my story! Side note, if any of you are KakaSaku fans, feel free to hit up my other fic, 'One More Skill', it's fairly popular and a long time running. Otherwise, I always appreciate the attention!

Side note, somebody wrote about being salty that ATLA didn't end with Zutara...I have to admit that I am too. Especially since apparently the creators debated over which way they should go, and ended up with Kataang. Which somehow makes it worse for me, knowing how CLOSE we were to Zutara lemon! Aaargh I wanted them to get together so bad, he was actually in her age range, and it would have been so good for the peace aspect of the war. And Aang was seriously too young for Katara. Seriously.

Anyways, enjoy this chapter, I'll give you all the Zutara that you need lol

* * *

Consumed with thought, Katara could hardly eat the next morning. She nibbled at a sunapple, a tart fruit that bloomed early in the summer mornings in the Fire Nation. They were vivid gold in color, with flesh that turned from sunset orange to deep red at the core. She'd always envied the Fire Nation of their wide variety of fruits; in the South Pole, all that they could grow were snowmelons and blood berries, the sharp, sweet red berries that spotted the tundra. Plus the roots and bitter vegetables that had to be cooked until tender enough to eat.

Satori laid out a few tunics and dresses for Katara to peruse, before bouncing back to her room to get herself dressed. Katara, for the most part, didn't need help with any but the most complicated outfits, so the demands on her staff were minimal. They mostly spent their time running around the city, meeting new people and trying new things. She envied their freedom, in the same way that they envied her prestige as the daughter of the chief.

 _'The grass is always greener, I guess,'_ she thought grimly, examining the outfits on her bed. Her time spent traveling the world as a penniless explorer with her friends felt like a lifetime ago now, as she analyzed the variety of clothes presented to her.

One dress was long, a beautifully embroidered midnight blue gown with an elegant train and a ruched waist. Another was a tunic that couldn't be described as anything but... _flirty_ , a flowy turquoise thing with a deep cut neckline that stopped at her knees. She cringed looking at it. It was very attractive, and she was sure that it would fit her figure beautifully, but screamed 'date' like no other outfit did. The last outfit was her usual tunic and soft skin pants.

She stared at the three, desperately wishing that she knew what was appropriate. Was she Katara the princess? It should be expected of her to dress in the manner of one. She'd known ladies of nobility to have a fully staffed entourage at all times; should she bring hers?

No, he'd said that they were meeting somewhere private. As much as she trusted the members of her staff, she knew that he may not feel the same way. And dressing in such finery without one felt...odd. She wished she knew if he'd be wearing Fire Lord armaments, but asking him what he planned on wearing before she'd left the meeting with him the day before would have been awkward. Either way, she felt too out of place in gowns like that. Maybe if she'd grown up wearing them, it would be different, but there wasn't much she could do about it now.

The flirty dress was off the table. The neckline was deeper than she was comfortable with, and Zuko was taller now then he was before. Picking up the soft cloth, she wondered what he'd see now. A woman? A woman with bare shoulders, dark hair falling down them, the enticing curve of her breast. She flushed deep red at the thought, shoving the dress away from her. Katara was eighteen now, nearly nineteen; she had grown a bit taller, filled out more with age. That thought would have excited her at fifteen, but right now it was nothing but terrifying.

A date. She and Aang had gone on dates, more than a few in the years that she'd known him. He'd taken her to fun dinners, to festivals, nighttime flights on Appa. She had never really thought about what to wear. It was, well, it was _Aang_. She'd always worn what was comfortable. But then again, she'd dressed for the fun she knew they'd have. Not exactly the romance. Would a date with Zuko be romantic?

She grimaced and grabbed her usual tunic, sacrificing the skin pants for black tights in the warmer Fire Nation weather. Why was she thinking about a date with him? This _wasn't_ a date. And if that's what he'd intended, then, well, she was just going to have to set him straight.

Her jaw set, she yanked the tunic over her head, braiding her hair back simply. She might be a princess, but underneath all of that she was just Katata. She'd always been just Katara. And he was just Zuko, no matter the finery he'd been trained into now. She set her mother's necklace on her neck, having been unable to wear it for days now due to the high-necked dresses that she'd received from their Northern sisters.

Katara stared at the tunic in the mirror. It wasn't new, but it wasn't too old either. The material was well-made and in good condition, albeit plain. That was a good way to sum it up; whereas the gown had been gloriously beautiful, and the short dress had been enticing, her usual tunic was about as engaging as a bag.

 _'Well, if it's good enough for Aang, it's good enough for Zuko,'_ she thought stubbornly, before catching herself with an angry flush. _'If it was a date. Which it's not.'_ Not wanting to frustrate herself further, she left the room with a huff.

Dressed in plain blues and unaccompanied by her staff, nobles and servants alike passed her without a second glance. Katara smiled in relief; it felt good to just be Katara of the Southern Water Tribe again. A nobody. She skipped past the head servant like she was invisible, and just like that she made it outside without any fuss.

Katara took a breath of fresh air as people pushed past her on their lunch breaks, or running back to work. She received a few curious glances, but water tribe villagers were no longer alien, even in the Fire Nation Capital. _Especially_ in the Fire Nation Capital, where countless dignitaries and envoys had traveled to in the last few years. The Northern Water Tribe even had an ambassador here, with his entire family. She knew that his oldest daughter was attending the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, the first and only waterbender to ever attend the school, which had been built during the Hundred Years' War.

So she wasn't exactly the first dark-skinned girl from the poles that they'd ever seen. Nonetheless, she received many long looks, even a few from young men her age, who smiled in a friendly sort of way at her. Before she could over-analyze what that meant, she was standing in front of the Jade Dragon.

She fisted her hands in her thick tunic. It was a small tea shop, but very beautifully built, true to its name with tall green pillars sculpted in the image of twin dragons. Gold lettering marked the name of the shop, and a small certificate in the window, seated in a thin black frame, proudly proclaimed the shop to be the best in the city. But another sign marked the shop as closed. Confused, she pushed gingerly at the door, which opened easily.

Katara was surprised to see the shop almost entirely empty, the lights turned off. Only one light burned at one table, and a dark-haired man rose from his seat when he saw her enter. She recognized Zuko immediately; his scar always gave him away. But he'd forgone the decorative royal headpiece, as well as his traditional armaments, in favor of a discreet black vest and light maroon pants that gathered at the knee. She was desperately relieved that she hadn't gone with either the gown or the skirt.

"Good to see you," he said, bowing politely. "Come, sit back here. Are you hungry?" Katara found herself nodding as she sank into the low booth. She was thrown off when Zuko stood and walked to the back of the shop before returning with a plate of snacks. _I guess when you're Fire Lord, you can do whatever you want._

"This place is...weird. This is weird," she admitted, not liking how alone they were together. He laughed and rubbed his head self-consciously.

"Yeah, I know," he said, sitting across from her. "It's not as bad as it seems, this place is usually really busy. Lucky for me I know the owner, so it's a really good place to meet in secret. I'm glad you dressed down, it's better to be inconspicuous about this stuff. There are a lot of eyes around me, they'd be on you too if people knew we were talking about this under the table, so to speak."

 _So definitely not a date._ Katara was overcome with relief...as well as...disappointment? Shocked, she forced the emotion down as she smiled.

"I understand. So who owns this place?" she asked, looking around. It was a beautiful place, doing very well from what she could see. Zuko smiled as another, older man came out from the kitchens in the back, carrying a tray with a steaming pot and several cups. "General Iroh!"

"Sorry young lady, I was a bit busy with the back door. The lock is really tricky, you see," said the older man easily. He smiled and sat next to his nephew, picking a dumpling from the platter. "And it's _retired_ general."

"My uncle stayed with me for the first year, to help me learn how to be Fire Lord," explained Zuko, taking a roll himself. "I couldn't ask him for more after that. When he decided I was ready to rule alone, I let him retire from service, and this was what he wanted to do." Iroh poured three drinks, a milky liquid that smelled heavenly.

"This is the White Dragon tea, one of my personal favorites," he said blithely, pushing a cup across the table. "My nephew tells me that you have some problems with a certain captain; that man happens to be under the order of a commander who is currently under investigation. As it stands now, we would be at risk opening another investigation under the same chain of command, because it can come across as a political culling."

Katara blinked before understanding. This wasn't an issue of the Fire Lord's power, it was the struggle to _maintain_ that power. Zuko's right to rule was under fire.

"Aren't you entitled to some political culling?" she asked, sipping at the tea. It was smoother than any she'd ever had, warming her from head to toes; no wonder Iroh had earned that certificate. "I mean, you just unseated your dad. I imagine there was a lot of corruption you had to deal with." Zuko and Iroh exchanged swift glances.

"Yeah, but it's not as easy as it seems," said Zuko, putting down his cup. "We can't come in just banishing people, or else I look like the next tyrant, and not one popular or established enough to keep the throne. My father and sister are still alive; we need to maintain loyalty in key people and places, or else I could be assassinated, or they could form a militia and dethrone me, find my sister, and put her on the throne. The Fire Lord had absolute power here, but that power stands on the willingness of the people to follow the royal family. It's more tenuous than it looks on the outside."

"How are you getting rid of the corrupt people, then?" she asked.

"Long, thorough, and damning investigations," he replied with an annoyed sneer. "It takes a lot of time. But if I throw everybody in jail that I suspect to have liked my dad, then that's almost everybody. And not everybody liked him so much that they won't accept me as the new Fire Lord, so I'd be making enemies that I didn't have before by doing that. So all I can do now is depend on the ears that I have around my palace, and make sure that investigations are as discreet as possible until enough evidence is found to justify something like banishment or prison time."

Katara felt her shoulders drop. If what he said was true, then getting the captain replaced or fired would be nearly impossible.

"So you can't help us," she said bitterly, staring down into her tea. She could feel Zuko's gold eyes glance up and straight at her.

"I don't mean that," he said, sounding surprised. "I didn't say that. I just mean that we have to find a way around it, and it has to be done by a third party. I can't directly handle this issue, but if we can work through a third party, we can get your tribe through this winter, and by the end of winter the investigation on the commander should be complete. If captains in his chain of command are compromised as well, which I can assure you they will be, then I'll be able to backpay another benefactor with supplies confiscated from the captain." Katara looked up in surprise, her eyes meeting his for a split second. His expression was warm, hopeful; she was surprised by how it made her blush. "I worked this out with my uncle. I think we can still help you."

"What third party?" she asked, redirecting her thoughts back to the conversation. She picked up a pastry. It was soft and warm, some flaky bread with a reddish filling. Its spiciness made her eyes water, but the spice quickly faded into a savory sweetness that was absent in her native foods.

"That's the question," said Iroh, pouring himself another cup of tea. "It has to be somebody that we can trust, somebody who can move large amounts of personal finances under their own ships, with the knowledge that they will be compensated when the investigation is complete. Zuko could do it, but it would raise controversy within the Capital. Another nation's leader can, but we do not trust King Kuei to be quiet about it. And likely, he will demand his own share, which would further compromise my nephew's rule in the Fire Nation."

"The Northern Water Tribe is probably our best bet," said Zuko, folding his arms on the table. "They're your sister tribe, and they've already been sending some you supplies. Asking them to raise the quantity shouldn't be suspicious enough to make waves; but my uncle and I don't know Chief Arnook well enough to discuss this with him. It puts us in the same position as it would with King Kuei, and we can't afford that."

Katara thought hard. She was quiet for a long time.

She knew Chief Arnook fairly well. She knew how little he trusted the Fire Nation, despite two years of reparations and the rebuilding of relationships across all nations. He would never believe Zuko's word, couldn't trust that he'd gain back what he would be risking his own tribe to give out. Zuko couldn't be involved in the deal.

"I can talk to him, feel him out," said Katara slowly. "But we need to wait until my dad gets here. Something like this, it's done between chiefs...I'm sure we could get him on our side, but you're right. We need to leave your involvement out of it. So we'll put it on our word, not yours." Zuko and Iroh nodded.

"Now you've got it," said Iroh, smiling and leaning back. "You make a wonderful princess, lady Katara, and perhaps a wonderful ambassador for your Nation one day."

She smiled modestly, taking another pastry. But as she nibbled, her pleasure turned to worry.

"Is your seat on the throne really that dangerous right now?" she asked hesitantly. For some reason, she'd never worried about that. She'd thought that as Ozai's firstborn, Zuko's rule wouldn't be questioned. It had always been one of the rocks that sustained Katara's faith that world peace was possible. Zuko would rule the Fire Nation, Aang would mediate between him and the other nations, and peace would be sustainable. Obviously not everybody in the Fire Nation would be on board; if they'd been willing to inflict war on the other nations for generations now, then a strong precedent would be in place to uphold the idea that their nation was superior. But she'd trusted that their respect for the royal family would overrule their desire to conquer other nations.

"You have no idea," laughed Zuko. His uncle chucked as well, confusing Katara. "I had an assassination attempt last week. Poor guy, some of them just assume that the stories are exaggerated or just rumors. He wasn't even a bender, I took him down in under a minute. Not even thirty seconds, my guards come in and he'd on the floor crying because I shot fire at him." Zuko and his uncle laughed at the memory, but Katara felt her blood run cold. Ozai on the throne again? Or worse, _Azula_?!

"How can that be funny to you!" burst Katara suddenly, her tea suddenly freezing over. The two men stopped laughing immediately, glancing down at the cup with concern.

"Um, Katara, it's not really-"

"You're literally the only thing standing between world peace and the end of other nations, and you think it's _funny_ that people want you dead?!" she continued, the rush of hot anger causing the ice to crack. "This is bigger than just you, Zuko! That's not something to joke about! I mean...if people are constantly trying to kill you, I'll guard you if I have to! You should have capable benders on you _all the time_!" She felt silly, being so angry about this, but when his life meant the difference between peace and war, she couldn't stand to see him laugh over it. He acknowledged her feelings with a heavy look before sighing.

"It's not like that, Katara. It's...I mean, I'm not the easiest guy to kill. Honestly, I'm not trying to brag when I say that I'm one of the best firebenders in the nation, on top of being a master swordsman. But I'm still doing things to mitigate the risks that come with ruling. Like...trying to establish a family," he said, his cheeks tinging red for the first time that evening. Katara averted her eyes self consciously. "If I can get a family started, it would be much harder to challenge my rule. Also, it's really good for the public; they like seeing the Fire Lady and kids around the Capital, they feel like they have a family to rally around, and not just one person. It doesn't hurt that the Fire Lady's duty is to support the civilians, politically."

"Yeah, that makes sense, but that would take at least a year, maybe more," she said. "That's a long time to hope that nobody skilled comes to murder you."

" _Really_ skilled," he corrected her. Katara rolled her eyes. "Besides that, I'm not doing nothing. I actually hired the Kyoshi warriors to come and act as personal guards until I can have trusted soldiers trained for it. They should be coming over on your dad's ship, actually."

Katara's eyebrows rose. She'd known that Suki was coming, but she'd just assumed that it was to be with Sokka while they visited. She hadn't been told that all of the warriors were coming too.

"Well, that's good," she said, her anger dissipating. At least he was taking this seriously, even if he wasn't coming across like that. "But...about your Fire Lady...competition, contest, thing..." She bit her lip and looked down, not wanting to bring it up, but exceedingly curious. It definitely played into the international atmosphere, and some things about it were concerning to her, and honestly she wasn't sure when she'd get another time to speak freely with him...so now seemed like a good time to ask, even if it made her feel _intensely_ awkward. Iroh cleared his throat and stood with the tray of empty teacups.

"I'll be right back, just going to refill this!" he said cheerfully, disappearing much faster than Katara would have expected from an older, heavyset man. Zuko looked annoyed to see him go.

"Are you sure...that this is a good idea?" she asked quietly. "I mean, I know it's theoretically better for securing your rule, but if your standing is already shaky, maybe marrying someone from another nation is a bad idea. I think a lot of people would be really mad about that." Zuko nodded without meeting her eyes.

"Yeah, I talked with my council about it. So they said that opening the palace to nobles from all nations would be good for building my image as part of the restoration movement, to make good with the other nations, but they also advise choosing a Fire Nation noble by the end of the summer. The gesture is good enough apparently, but they don't think that the people would accept a foreign Fire Lady either." From the tone of his voice, he didn't sound on board with the plan. Katara frowned, leaning forward slightly, but he didn't meet her eyes.

"And how do you feel about that?" she asked, her voice heavy with sympathy. She, better than most, understood acting in the best interest of her nation.

"It doesn't matter. The needs of my nation come first." His familiar voice dissipated, instead taking on the formality of a ruler. It was bewildering, how quickly he changed before her very eyes. He suddenly seemed imposing, more Fire Lord than Zuko. Katara reached across the table and touched his fingertips, wanting to bring back the confused boy that had sealed his friendship with her the day that he stood by her side as she stared her mother's killer in the face. He went very still, but didn't pull away.

"What...what about Mai?" she whispered, almost afraid to ask. She hadn't seen the woman since she'd arrived, and though the question burned her, she hadn't wanted to ask. Now, though, she wondered why she wasn't here to help. He frowned, and she regretted asking.

"We broke up," he said shortly, gold eyes raising to challenge hers. She swallowed and didn't pursue it. "Different paths."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, eyes lowering. "It wasn't my place to ask." He didn't reply for a few minutes, and they sat in silence in the dark teahouse.

"My council of advisors is here to advise me. They don't tell me what to do. So, when the time comes, I'll decide what the best path is, not them. Don't worry Katara, nothing happens without my order." His voice was calmer now, soothing. Katara nodded silently, wishing that she wouldn't feel as heavy. Her life, her friendships, were supposed to get easier after the end of the war, not more complicated. But here they were, sorting through more complex lives than they'd ever been during her time with the Avatar.

Katara bit her lips; she wanted to ask him when Aang was coming back to the Capital, but...it somehow didn't feel right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt guilty somehow.

"Well, you two look like you're finishing up," said Iroh, startling both benders. "Katara, my dear, have you seen the local theater? They put on the most wonderful operas, I believe that the new one is being performed today. 'Midnight Dance at Dawn.' It's supposed to be pretty funny, from what I've heard, quite a good performance." Katara shook her head shyly.

"I've never been to an opera," she admitted. "I went to a play here once. I don't think I'm really dressed for an opera though." Iroh shrugged.

"Not for the top box, maybe, but common folk are welcome in the floor seats. I don't imagine that there's much to do in the palace, that's why I got out of there you know!" He chuckled, his humor not scratching the surface of his nephew's renewed scowl.

"There's nothing to do if you spend entire days avoiding anybody important," he grumbled, glaring at his uncle with no real malice. " _I_ have more than enough to do."

"Ah, nephew, they can spare you for another hour or so," said Iroh, patting Zuko's back heavily. Katara stifled a laugh as it quite literally knocked the grimace from the young man's face. "Even your father took time for himself. Take Lady Katara to the opera, you need some time to unwind as well. I'm sure your household staff would be very thankful to see you in a better mood." Zuko glowered at his uncle for a long time before eventually rolling his eyes in defeat.

"We can't go dressed like this. It's not like I'm hard to recognize." He pointed to his scar meaningfully. "And if they put us in the top box dressed like commoners, I'll be criticized all week. They'll shame me off of the throne."

Iroh pondered this for a moment before retreating to the kitchens again. Zuko didn't look too pleased with the idea, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in a gesture that looked too natural for him. Katara pitied him; he really wasn't much older than her, only a little over a year, but the responsibilities resting on his shoulders far outpaced hers. She was healer and builder for a single village. He was responsible for the continuation of world peace.

The older man came back, holding two masks in his hands. One was a delicate white, the other black with gold accents. Zuko wordlessly took the black one, and handed the white to Katara.

"These are very common at the theater," said Iroh, helping Katara to secure the silk ribbon strap behind her head. "You can pass as anybody with these. Well, Lady Katara not so much, maybe a daughter of an emissary. But you could be anybody, nephew."

"Thanks," growled Zuko, tying his own mask on. His hair fell long, about to his neck, without the traditional topknot. She was surprised at how long it had gotten...but she supposed all Fire Nation nobles grew their hair out as a mark of status. "This is a waste of time, uncle. I really should be at a meeting this afternoon."

"Time spent in joy is never wasted," said Iroh sagely. "But a life spent in labor _is_. Now go, Zuko, have a few hours to yourself. You need some color." He pushed the two of them out the door, closing them loudly behind the pair. Katara hesitated before turning slowly to glance at the man beside her. Zuko's eyes were closed, from what she could see through the mask.

"Old fool." He spoke quietly, sounding more like his old self. He sighed deeply before opening his eyes with a resigned expression. "Well, I've trusted him this far. I might as well trust him now. Come on, the theater is this way."

He started off down the road. Katara followed, not sure how she should feel about this, but sort of glad to have something to do besides hang around the palace feeling unproductive. _Is it still not a date?_

They walked towards a large red building, decorated rather gaudily with gold-painted molding and statues. A small crowd was gathered at the gates; just as General Iroh had said, many were masked. Nobody spared the two of them a glance. Even with her dark skin, Katara looked plain enough to ignore in a crowd such as this. As she was swept along with the mass of people, she felt a gentle hook in her elbow. Turning, she saw a familiar black mask, under which a familiar mouth smirked. The hand continued to pull her until her arm was linked in his.

"It's easy to get separated here," he warned her, his breath warm against her ear as he leaned close. Katara felt goosebumps break across the skin of her neck at the unexpected intimacy of the movement. "Stay close. You should be safe here, but anti-restoration people are generally present in this part of town. They might not be very friendly towards an unaccompanied foreigner."

Nodding, she pulled tight to his side. She fit his side very easily, due to his taller frame. He was exceedingly warm. Katara enjoyed the warmth for a moment before abruptly pulling away. He glanced down at her in surprise, but she looped her arm in his instead. Not considering the motion important enough to comment on, he refocused his attention on the ticket booth.

"Two tickets, Lee and Zala of East Capital," he said quickly, while the attendant checked his list. The man printed off two gold tickets, handing them wordlessly to the couple before waving them inside. Katara looked at Zuko curiously, and he shrugged. "I like coming to these, not always as 'esteemed Fire Lord.' I sometimes come undercover, so I have tickets for Lee reserved for almost every play. Zala, too, when Mai would come with me." He sounded bitter at the memory. Katara squeezed his arm, and he snapped out of the displeasure.

"I didn't know you liked artsy stuff," she teased gently. "I thought you just liked punching fire at people." He laughed dryly.

"Firebending is artsy too," he countered. "All bending is just art. Of course I like operas...I grew up on them as a kid. It sort of brings me back to better times. Plus, it's nice to get away sometimes, and there's nowhere better than somebody else's story." Impressed by the unwitting wisdom of his words, Katara didn't respond as he wound them a path through the rows to the seats reserved for Lee and Zala.

They were good seats, only three rows from the front, and center seats. Katara felt wonderfully invisible, something she'd ached for since leaving the South Pole. She settled into the comfortable seat, surprised by how excited she was for the show. Zuko relaxed beside her, probably for the first time since she'd seen him. She leaned over, nudging him ever so slightly. He glanced over at her.

"I'm glad you came," she murmured as the theater began to crowd. "I think you needed this. Fire Lord seems a little stressful." He laughed shortly, not deigning that understatement with a response. "Maybe we should have invited Toph."

"I'll invite Toph to an opera if I want a headache," groaned Zuko, rubbing his temples. "I usually don't like to bring anybody to these. Consider yourself lucky." She huffed, turning slightly to face him.

" _Me_?" she hissed, thoroughly irritated. "Me? _You_ should be honored!" She snatched her arm back, folding them tightly across her chest. It was quiet for a few moments, though the murmur of people filling the theater grew. A hand touched her arm, almost too light to be felt. When Katara turned, she was met with an even, golden stare, through the black and gold of the mask.

"I am honored," he whispered. "Thank you." It was his low, regal voice, and Katara couldn't help the rush of warmth that overcame her face and neck. At least he couldn't see, with the mask and the darkness. She whipped away again, embarrassed more than irritable now.

"Stop," she whispered back, forcing herself to focus on the stage. "Stop being all...Fire Lord. It's different." His low chuckle, throaty in a voice now matured, caught her attention.

"Different isn't always bad," he replied, softer as the lights turned on.

It had been a long time since Katara had laughed.

But now, watching the Moon Prince Izuro struggle to free his sister, the river goddess Ilala, she felt the bubble of joy burst freely from her lips. She couldn't help it. The antics of the actors, the cleverness of the script, it was positively thrilling. She watched as each actor sang deeply and passionately about the hideousness of each other, as they fought to riddle out the relationship between the ground and the moon, as they disguised themselves and played tricks on one another until the moon prince topped them all with moving the crescent in the sky until it touched the early sun, trapping his own sister in a never ending tide.

When Ilala burst into song about how annoying her brother was, Katara collapsed into tearful giggles, relating all too much to the older sister river goddess. As she laughed, her head turned and she noticed that Zuko wasn't watching the play anymore. Instead, his golden eyes were focused on her, and as she met them, she felt the world around them quiet.

She stared for a long time, the breath of the last laugh lingering on her lips, her cheeks flushed beneath the white mask from her delighted enjoyment of the opera. His hand came up slowly, tipped up her mask to reveal the ocean blue of her wide eyes. She couldn't tear herself back, couldn't move, despite every nerve screaming at her that this was wrong. This moment wasn't supposed to be a part of their meeting, their political relationship.

He leaned towards her. Despite her screaming senses, Katara...didn't lean away. His hand came up, touched her neck-

And abruptly, Zuko stood. Just as his face was inches from hers, warming the space between them with the whispered implication of something more, he yanked away, widening the distance between them. He turned from her, paused for a moment, and left the theater.

Katara was left with her own emotions, which seemed to reignite as he left her and strike her with ten times the strength they'd had before. The guilt, the disappointment, the confusion, all of it struck her in the eerie detachment of the laughing theater. All around her the delight continued, but within Katara there was nothing but turmoil.

The Fire Lord...Zuko...who was this man? Had she ever really known her friend? Katara dropped her head in her hands, mourning the loss of the people that she'd once known as the play just continued on without her.

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Thanks for reading! I was sort of hoping to hit 30k with this chapter, I fell about a thousand short but I think you'll enjoy it anyways. It's starting to get lemonier ;) please let me know what you think, and if there's anything that I can improve on! I'll update very soon, so keep in touch!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA

Sorry for the delayed update, I've been MOVING! From GEORGIA to WASHINGTON! And...I DROVE THE WHOLE ENTIRE WAY lmfao! You guys don't know me personally but I'm historically terrible at driving long distances, I start falling asleep after like two hours, and I did it with my two dogs and my cat...so...honestly it's sort of a miracle that I'm not dead.

That being said, the move went great, I was packed up entirely in a UHaul and towing my car. Currently in my new house, I've never been to the Midwest/west before besides one time in Colorado, so this has been super cool for me. So, thanks for sticking with it, I'll try to update again within the next few days but it depends on how fast I can get moved in. Next stop is the new job at Fort Lewis (I'm in the army, fun fact lol)!

Thanks for reading and reviewing, please enjoy this next chapter!

Side note: I just noticed that I bitched about the lack of canonical Zutara for the last two chapters in a row, but I still don't think it comes close to how salty I am about it lol

* * *

Katara nibbled at a bun, her feet kicked up and resting on Ka, who was sprawled across the floor of her common room. Toph was curled up in a squashy red armchair, picking at a chicken-pig bone, and Roraima was upside down on the couch beside Katara, braiding her own hair. The three girls were minimally attended; Katara's own servants seemed to become scarcer as time went on, and only Roraima had a waiting girl standing by if they needed anything. It was nice for Katara. She was finally starting to feel like her own person again.

They also just didn't need much this morning. Katara was lost in thought, wondering how she was supposed to convince Chief Arnook to expedite extra supplies when his own people struggled still, how she was going to find Aang, how she was going to somehow avoid Zuko for the rest of her time here. How long it would take to convince Chief Arnook to go along with their plan, which she'd have to convince her father of first...

And Toph was mostly just interested in food. She'd been scarfing down meat like chicken-pigs were going extinct. The three women were taking full advantage of the down time afforded to them. But even the most noble of women find boredom some days.

"So, what are you two wearing to this dumb masquerade?" asked Toph idly, burping as she tossed a bone to Ka. The big cat crunched it easily, licking her lips and watching the earthbender for more, which was sure to come; Toph was already picking up another leg from the heavily laden table of snacks. Katara's conflicting thoughts faded as Roraima laughed.

"It's not dumb! It's supposed to be a lot of fun. They're paying for music from all nations, dancing, food, and entertainment all night...and apparently some strong drinks too," the girl said slyly, winking at Katara. "I'm not sure though. I might wear Water Tribe, no offense Katara. One of the duchesses from the Northern Tribe said they'd lend me a dress if I lent one of mine to her! It's a cultural sharing thing, you know." She tied off the braid with a small band from her wrist.

"I didn't know there was a masquerade," said Katara, wondering vaguely where everybody was getting this information from. Toph scoffed at her through a mouthful of chicken-pig.

"Didn't you get the schedule? It was stuffed into everybody's fruit baskets," she said, her mouth over-full with meat. Katara gagged before turning to look at her basket, which had been picked over by her attendants. There was a colorful paper tucked into the side that she hadn't noticed before. She got up to grab it, scowling as she went.

"Not all of us came to the Fire Nation to crush food, Toph," she sighed, flipping open the paper. It was a neatly laid-out timeline for the next several weeks, including balls, local events, and formal meetings. The other side of the paper was a simplified map to the first floor of the palace, and along the borders of both sides were tips and locations to maximize time spent here. Katara frowned. This would have been great to have a few days ago. "At least I have you two here to keep me up to date." She straightened and returned to the girls on the couches.

"You're welcome, Katara," mumbled Toph, tossing the next bone to Ka. "We live to serve." Roraima giggled at the earthbender's dry sarcasm. _Earth Nation._ Toph and Roraima had become friends almost immediately, having a lot in common, and both being very laid back girls. Even Katara smiled, having missed her friend's quips over the last two years. "You know what, I almost forgot. How did that date go?" Katara's face went red as Roraima whipped around, new interest lighting her hazel eyes. She grabbed Katara's arm and yanked her onto the couch.

"Date?! You didn't tell me you had a date!" gasped the young duchess, her hands tight on Katara's arm. The waterbender shot Toph a nasty look, but the heiress was unrepentant. Toph might not see her glare, but she could certainly feel it from Katara's tense body. "Was it with _Zuko_?"

"It _wasn't a date,_ " growled Katara angrily, eyes rolling back in her head. "It was a business meeting. Not a big deal."

"A _private_ business meeting, over _tea_ ," emphasized Toph, raising her eyebrows over her mischievous grin. Katara's glare would have killed her if she could see it.

"Oh come on, that doesn't mean anything," scoffed Katara. She abruptly remembered the heated stare that he'd given her at the theater, and her cheeks flushed darkly against her will. Roraima gasped again before she could do anything.

"Something _did_ happen, you're completely red!" she squealed, grabbing Katara's hand tightly, before the waterbender could escape. "Tell us!"

"I...have to go," she said, pulling herself free of Roraima's grasp gently. She looked disappointed, but didn't fight to keep her. "I promise, nothing happened. I have to go, I need to find out when Aang is getting here. My dad will be here soon, I want to know if we can see each other before I have to leave. I might not even be here for this whole thing." Toph frowned.

"I think you should ask the head maid, the lady that runs the servants here. She has to keep a schedule for important guests, so she can have suites set up and whatever. She should know when Aang is coming, if anybody."

Katara froze. Of course! How did she not think of that? She paused, feeling grateful for her friend's presence but also not willing to divulge in her meeting with Zuko, despite Toph's expectant smile.

"Thanks, Toph. We can talk about this later. Sorry guys, I really put this off for too long." She rushed out the door; she could deal with the two of them later. On top of not understanding exactly why Toph was here, she also felt guilty for coming across as undercutting Roraima. Was the young duchess going to hate her? She needed to introduce them. Out of everyone that she'd met, Roraima seemed to be the most down to earth. But...Zuko had also said that he likely wasn't going to marry a foreign noblewoman. Should she have broken that to her, or waited to see what he decided to do?

Buried in guilt and indecision, Katara almost didn't see the young woman standing in the hall.

Catching herself just in time, she pulled short, her hands reaching out to steady herself. She stared up into the Mai's dark, mildly surprised eyes.

"M-Mai!" she yelped, jerking backwards. Despite the fact that the young noblewomen had changed sides and defended them at the end of the war, she couldn't help that her first reaction was defensive. She'd quickly formed ice daggers from a nearby vase, before catching herself and lowering the weapons. Mai didn't seem upset. Instead, she smiled more brightly than Katara had ever seen, brushing off Katara's defensive response.

"Katara! I didn't know you were here!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and hugging the waterbender. Katara stood totally still, frozen from shock. She hadn't known Mai particularly well; she knew that she'd dated Zuko for a while, and that she fought with dedication alongside Azula, but she hadn't known her on a personal level at all. "I'm kind of surprised you were going to go along with this nonsense. But I guess you're a foreign dignitary too, aren't you?" She laughed, a strange sound to Katara.

"I'm not really here for all that," she replied abashedly, tucking a dark curl behind her ear. "I'm here for business, ahead of my dad. What about you?" After the words left her, she worried that Mai might not want to discuss that with her, but she merely shrugged.

"Also business, I guess," she said, waving it off. "Well, probably more like family stuff. My dad had a lot of shady money from his time serving Fire Lord Ozai, under the table sort of deals that really screwed some colonies to put money in our coffers. I've been sorting it out with Zuko over mail mostly, but I have to bring some of the files here personally once in a while; they're pretty important, and I don't want to risk them getting stolen." She indicated lightly towards her discreetly matching handbag, just big enough for a few scrolls. Katara was impressed. Mai might be able to hire trustworthy messengers, but truly, nobody would be more difficult to rob than the knife-wielding woman herself.

"That's...actually really cool of you," said Katara in surprise. She didn't know exactly why Mai would choose loyalty to the throne over her own family, but admittedly, she didn't know much about the secretive girl. She chose loyalty to the throne, but she hadn't wanted to sit on it when she'd had the chance. Why?

"I guess so. I don't need the money, my family definitely doesn't either, so there's no harm in sorting it out. Zuko's offered my family leniency if we restore our good faith, but my dad is being difficult, so I've got to do it. I _really_ don't want to...but I guess I don't want him to be thrown in jail either." She rolled her dark eyes in annoyance. "Family is the worst. I'm so glad I left the house."

"You're not living with your parents anymore?" asked Katara. She'd thought that noble girls lived with their parents up until they were wed. "Where are you staying?"

For perhaps the first time ever, a real light shone in Mai's typically sullen face. It was a good look for her, and Katara couldn't help returning the beautiful smile.

"No. I was sick of having to do what they told me, and Zuko's tearing apart the old ruling family structures, so there's no point going along with them anymore. So I left, used my money to buy a flower shop just outside the palace...it's what I've always wanted to do. I have an apartment over it, it's actually doing really well." Genuine pride glowed behind her shy smile. "My family spent years grooming me to be Fire Lady. They were close enough to Fire Lord Ozai to expect a match, and I do care about Zuko, but I never wanted that kind of position. All I've ever wanted has been to live my own life, and now I finally have it."

"I'm really happy for you Mai," said Katara earnestly. "I mean, I'm sorry that things didn't work out with Zuko. But everybody deserves a shot at happiness. I'm glad that you found it."

Mai nodded, but her smile seemed to fade.

"Katara...be careful," she said quietly, leaning forward and lowering her voice. Her eyes darted left and right, verifying that they were alone. "Not everybody is happy with the new regime. A lot is changing really fast, too fast for some, and Zuko has made a lot of enemies because of that. His council is managing him as well as they can, but it was inevitable for opposition to come."

"Is he in danger?" Katara asked, brows knit with concern. Mai smiled wryly.

"What Fire Lord isn't in danger?" she replied, laughing lightly. "I'm not worried about him. He can take care of himself, and he already knows he's painting himself into a big target. There's been some talk in my shop though, a lot of people aren't happy with the foreign dignitaries being here. Just watch your back, alright? I'm not sure if anything is going to happen, but it's better to be on your guard. If I hear any kind of genuine plans being talked about in my shop, I'll come tell you myself."

Katara nodded silently. She'd guessed from the nature of the trip that she might eventually face some sort of lashback. But she'd expected it to be directed at Zuko moreso than his visitors. _I guess I can't expect backwards jerks to keep their opinions away from innocent people._

"Thanks for the heads up," sighed Katara. "I'll warn the others. I'm sure most of them brought some sort of security detail, so I think we'll be okay, but it's good to know that that sort of talk is happening already." _And Zuko hasn't even chosen a wife...how much worse will would it be for a foreign Fire Lady? It sounds like his council knows what they're doing, at least_.

"Wait," said Mai, grabbing Katara's sleeve as she turned to leave. "Um, sorry...there's some really nice springs behind the palace, some of us are going after I drop these off. Ty Lee is here too, I'm sure she'd like to see you. Zuko is probably coming after. Bring your friends, it's going to be fun."

Katara wasn't sure if that was the best idea. Toph liked to stir mischief more than Katara preferred...but what a good opportunity to introduce Roraima to Zuko! She had to go!

"We'll be there!" she said cheerfully, turning to head back to the room. "Thanks Mai!" Thoughts of Aang faded as she wondered over how to fix up Zuko. And she fought down the mixed feelings that she had about seeing him later, and about him with Roraima.

* * *

"I'm seriously not allowed to do anything?" moaned Toph, her eyes rolling as Katara shook her head. "Not one mudslide? Not _one_ dinky sinkhole?"

"We're here to make friends," snapped Katara, straightening her white sarashi. "Not bury people in mud. You can spar with somebody later if you have to." She noticed that Toph's top had slipped to the side, and straightened it for her quickly. Toph, bejng used to Katara's mothering, didn't protest.

"That's not the point," she muttered sulkily. "Mudslides make friends too."

"Just wait until I'm clear, okay?" laughed Roraima, emerging from behind her green and gold doors. Her bathing suit was more typical of earth nation women than Toph's. While Toph merely wore a sleeveless cropped shirt and snug brown training pants, Roraima wore a brown wrap trimmed with gold, and a short light green skirt. Over her shoulder she carried a bag with towels, water, and snacks.

"Don't encourage her," grumbled Katara, tucking her thick, loose hair behind her ear. "We're all going to end up having to clean up the springs, and she isn't even going to help if that happens." Toph shrugged noncommittally, her wide grin revealing the truth in her friend's words.

"Come on, Katara. I know you'd love to see some of those snooty Fire Nation nobles get some dirt on their snooty faces," Toph hedged, sensing an alliance in her Earth Kingdom cousin. Roraima elbowed Katara teasingly, who grimaced. Yes, of course she'd love to see some spoiled nobles get drenched in mud, but she was supposed to be a princess now.

"...I'm not going to condone it," she said stiffly, conceding to the fact that Toph would most likely just do what she wanted to do anyways. "And I'm going to yell at you later."

"And I'm sure I'll listen to it," said Toph gleefully, rubbing her hands together. Katara winced. Maybe this was a bad idea.

They stopped outside of the throne room, where Mai was just emerging from one of the back offices. Sans her bag, she was shedding her long dress to reveal red chest bindings and a long skirt. She tossed the dress to a nearby servant, who immediately folded it and bowed deeply.

"Come on, it's back here," she said, leading them back into the throne room. She wound confidently through another office, down a hall and down some stairs until they found themselves outside, in a secluded back area surrounded by rocky peaks of mountain stone. She elbowed Toph hard as the young earthbender rubbed her hands together.

Several young people were playing in the water or sunning on the rocks, all sons and daughters of important people. Katara noticed that her two cousins from the north were there, and immediately felt better. They waved back at her when they saw her.

"Katara, that's Ladies Zakani and Zai from the Azumi house, Lady Xiana, Lords Izeko and Ryo, you already know Ty Lee and the duchesses Uoko and Tikani from the Northern Water Tribe. And Zuko." Mai pointed to each in turn. Katara waved politely as they each looked her up and down. Lady Xiana...that was the Fire Nation noblewoman from before, the one who'd scathingly mocked her and Toph's backgrounds, the one with a pretty face and calculative brown-gold eyes. She returned Katara's look of recognition with a haughty glare, before returning to her conversation with Lady Zakani.

Ty Lee, looking particularly free-spirited in a low-cut white bikini, leapt from the water and bounded towards the small group. Katara's hackles rose at this girl like they had with Mai, but she resisted the powerful urge to defend herself as Ty Lee threw her arms around her.

"Hi! Welcome back!" she chirped, careless of the fact that the last time Katara had been here, she'd been fighting Princess Azula to the death with Zuko. "I know we technically aren't friends since we fought every time we saw each other, but I feel like I already know you! And your aura is a really pretty color, like a silvery-blue...so I know we're going to get along great!" Her gray eyes were so engaging that Katara couldn't help but return her smile.

"Good to officially meet you," said Toph, shaking Ty Lee's outstretched hand easily. "Sorry about the imprisonment of your bestie!" Katara groaned, but Ty Lee didn't seem phased as she hugged the earthbender next.

The two duchesses from the Northern Water Tribe rose and approached the group. They both wore sarashis similar to Katara's, but more elaborately designed.

"Master Katara," said the dark-haired one, Lady Uoko, bowing in acknowledgement of Katara's rank. Lady Tikani bowed as well, her expression a little more serious, but tinged with good humor. "Glad to see you! We've just been talking about the bending arts, and we didn't have any benders here to back us up. I mean, Lady Zai is a firebender, but she hasn't had very much formal training. And Fire Lord Zuko of course."

They walked towards the pool, which Katara found to be pleasantly cool and welcoming. She sighed as she slid into the water. Briefly, she glanced towards Zuko, but he seemed to be deep in conversation with Lord Rya. However, as she looked in his direction, she could have sworn that a light blush tinged his neck.

The springs were lovely, several clear pools of water sunken into the black rock common to the Fire Nation. It was heavily secluded with both peaks of rock as well as trees and ferns; either this had been a natural beauty preserved by the Fire Lords who had built the palace, or it was an extremely well made place for royalty to relax. Either way, Katara marveled at the appreciation of beauty that seemed to cross all cultural boundaries.

Roraima and Toph followed her into the water; Toph didn't seem to mind the stares, but Roraima hugged herself self-consciously. As they settled into the water, conversation resumed.

"I was telling Lord Izeko that the bending forms are very different," continued Uoko leadingly. "For example, waterbending forms don't translate exactly for other forms of bending. A firebender or an earthbender couldn't bend using waterbending stances. At least, that's what we were taught in the north." She stopped there, looking expectantly at Katara for confirmation. Katara paused before remembering that, as a master, she _was_ technically the best source of information that they had.

"W-well," she stammered, wishing that she knew more about other forms. "That's mostly right. But also not exactly right? I mean...I mean it's hard for me to say, I know I'm just a waterbender."

"Bending isn't just about the stances, it's who you are," said Zuko, cutting into their conversation. Katara jumped slightly, not realizing that he'd been listening. "A bender can learn from watching other styles. I learned a lot from my uncle, who studied the airbenders' ability to use breath control to benefit firebreathing. Lightning bending is based on waterbending. It's true that I couldn't use other bending forms to _effectively_ firebend, but they're necessary to study, to master your own elements. And all you really have to look at is the avatar."

"You're so smart, Fire Lord," sighed Lady Xiana, leaning over and touching his arm. He looked uncomfortable, but didn't pull away from her. Katara rolled her eyes, meeting Roraima's equally amused gaze. "I wish I was a bender. I'd love to see some firebending."

He laughed lightly, putting up his hands.

"Sorry, I'm, uh, not really in the mood," he said, despite the disappointed sounds from the others. "I just finished training this morning, I'm just trying to relax. Besides, Zai is a firebender, she can show you."

"I don't know much," said the young woman shyly. She had a sort of plain face, but very kind brown eyes. "My parents didn't think that bending was important, for a girl. Even though princess...even though we have high ranking women who firebend." She caught herself quickly, her glance flickering with fear towards Zuko, but he didn't respond to her slip of the tongue. Nobody ever mentioned Azula. Not because Zuko forbade it, but because of some unspoken courtesy that stamped it as taboo. And though he withheld from any acknowledgement of the slip, Katara noticed several of the others give Lady Zai harsh looks. She shrank under the silent criticism.

"Firebending? Really?" laughed Lord Ryo. He was the type of guy that seemed accustomed to a lot of attention. Handsome, well-bred, and engaging, he seemed to gravitate towards higher ups. And now his dark eyes were very focused on Katara. "You can ask any guard here to firebend for you. At least half of them are proficient, and I'd say one out of ten is highly skilled. Come on, Xiana. We have waterbending and earthbending _masters_ , right here, and you want to see firebending? How many of you have ever seen water or earth bending?" All of the Fire Nation nobles exchanged surprised looks.

"Oh, I'll show you earthbending!" Toph exclaimed, needing no further encouragement. Her hands rose threateningly-

" _No thanks, Toph,_ " interrupted Zuko, his hands tight around the smaller girl's wrists before Katara could have seen him move. He was just as fast as she'd remembered, maybe faster. "These springs are hundreds of years old. _No. Mudslides._ " Toph's tight stance relaxed as she groaned.

"I knew one of you was going to be a stick in the mud," she grumbled, plopping back into the water as soon as Zuko released her. "You or miss priss." Zuko shook his head, sinking back into the water once he determined that she wasn't going to destroy the springs.

"Katara can waterbend if she wants to, but no earthbending in here," he said firmly. "I don't trust you."

Toph rolled her eyes. "I help tear down a tyrant with you, and you don't trust me to throw some rocks?" She met Zuko's stern look. "Yeah, fair enough."

They laughed amicably. Katara was surprised to see how well everybody got along; it was as though the quarrels of their ancestors was truly behind them. But as she felt Lady Xiana's cold stare, she knew that they still had a long way to go. But...the sight of her cousins laughing and joking with the Fire Nation noblewomen gave her a deep sense of hope. Maybe the new generation really could overcome their past.

"Fire Lord, I know we met at the banquet, but I don't know if I formally introduced myself. My name is Roraima." Katara's attention caught as she heard her friend sidling up to Zuko. "Katara's told me all about you. I'm glad that we finally got to meet!" She tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear, blushing gently as Zuko met her eyes.

"I remember you," he said, smiling. "You sat at the end of the table, King Kuei's cousin, right? I'm sorry that I didn't get to speak with you more. I didn't know you were a friend of Katara's, I would have made sure you were seated closer. I'm not sure what she told you, I hope it wasn't all bad." They laughed lightly. "I did chase her around the world for a while. I wasn't always nice."

"I've heard a bit," said Roraima. "Don't worry, just the good things I think."

As they talked, Katara felt odd. She was glad that Roraima was getting her shot with Zuko, but listening to them chat made her feel vaguely disappointed. They seemed to have chemistry; she was sweet and kind, he was encouraging. They even looked good together. The way they sat, with her leaning towards him, they could easily have been a couple. She leaned closer and said something in a low voice, something that Katara didn't quite catch.

"So you're the esteemed master Katara? I'm surprised that you're so young. But I guess anybody who traveled with the Avatar had to have some serious talent." Katara jumped, not expecting the young man who'd edged a bit closer to her. It was Lord Ryo, the dark-eyed man who'd spoken earlier. He was very handsome; his black hair swept artfully across his enticing stare. Katara couldn't help but blush at the attention.

"I don't think I'm really talented," she said self-consciously. "Just practiced a lot. It's something I love doing." He leaned back against the rocks, showing off a very attractive chest. Her blush deepened, and she turned her gaze away, not wanting to indulge. She wasn't here for that.

"I'm not a bender, but I do love martial arts. It's powerful. Graceful. I loved watching firebenders train...bending looks like the embodiment of the human spirit. I've never seen waterbending though. Do you think you could show me something?"

Katara hesitated. She'd never done waterbending purely for the enjoyment of others, and she suspected that he was interested in more than her bending. But the way he described it was so similar to how it made her feel, the embodiment of her spirit moving as she did, that she couldn't help but believe his passion for the art. She shrugged shyly, feeling a little uncomfortable with the attention; the others had all turned to watch. Even Roraima had turned from Zuko to see what she would do.

"Come on," said Roraima encouragingly. "I've never seen it either! I've heard it's so pretty though." Her green-gold eyes were wide with anticipation. Katara swallowed, her blush deepening until her eyes met Zuko's gold. He didn't flinch away from her look, but smiled at her. She felt a flutter somewhere deep in her stomach, and pride for her art finally emerged.

She stood, moving back to shallower water, a spot where it fell low at her hips. Taking a deep breath, she summoned the chi within herself, felt it flow through her body with the cool familiarity with which it had always existed. She fell lithely into a river stance, the most graceful and easily controlled, and let her body call the water to her.

Low gasps emanated from the small crowd as she lifted a spray of water, holding the drops in the air and forming them quickly into a long stream. It coiled around her body like a snake as she shifted from one form to the next, letting it swirl around herself before expanding it to rain around all of them. Her audience burst into excited applause.

Katara smiled, easily bending more water into beautiful swirls around herself. She jumped, startled, when a hand touched the crook of her elbow. The water fell around her heavily, back into the pool.

"It's incredible, like dancing," said Ryo, much too close to her. "Thank you." Katara shrugged and pulled back slightly, just out of reach.

"No problem," she replied, laughing nervously. "It's something I love doing. I know you understand." She rejoined the others in the pool, avoiding Ryo's intense gaze. He was charming, and very handsome...and she was with somebody else.

If she hadn't been working so hard to avoid Ryo's eyes, she may have noticed a golden pair watching her just as intently.

* * *

Mai smiled as she watched Katara waterbend. She'd spent so much time fighting her that she'd never been able to appreciate the beauty of the style. It was graceful, intense, enchanting to watch. She moved as carefully as any dancer, her body seeming to know what to do without her actively thinking it. Bending was beautiful, but waterbending especially so. The fluid motion of the woman's body was... _hypnotic_.

Ryo was such an obvious flirt. He'd noticed the exotically dark woman the second that she'd walked out of the palace, but he wasn't sharp enough to catch on to the fact that she wasn't going to go for him. Or maybe he did know, but didn't care. He could be very persistent; he'd managed to convince Ty Lee to date him for a little while, until she too had noticed what an incorrigible cheater he was.

But Katara had withdrawn from his charm, pushed it away. She wasn't the type to run around on anybody, nor could she be drawn in with cheap tactics like this.

Mai had, however, noticed the look that Zuko had given Katara. It was one she used to draw from him, a long time ago. It was a look filled with warmth, affection, a closeness that he reserved for very few people in his life. And while it sparked interest, that Katara had been deemed worthy of this look, and that it alone emboldened the woman to perform for this group of strangers, it also fanned a flame of jealousy that Mai hadn't known would still exist.

And he watched her now, as she bent the water into fantastic shapes around herself. He stared like he had once stared at Mai, whether she was showing off her knife throwing skills or slipping free of her long formal dresses for him. Like she was the only thing worth watching.

Mai was happy for her friend. Zuko deserved joy, after a lifetime of sorrow, and if he found it here then she only wished him the best. But she couldn't stop the brief stab of pain at the thought that he was going to find it somewhere else.

He didn't deserve to know that she missed him. Mai smothered her feelings and slipped silently from the courtyard as the others watched Katara.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews everybody! Sorry it took so long, again, but the next chapter will come in a few days.

I did have one reviewer ask if this was going to be an infidelity fic...sorry to spoil my own story, but no it's not! The breakup is coming lol Katara will not be cheating on Aang. If anybody else has questions, I'll answer them as long as they're not too revealing of the plot. Otherwise, thank you all for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA

Thanks so much for the reviews everybody! I really appreciate every single one of them. They help inspire me, and they reassure me that people care about my story...which honestly surprised me, because I figured the whole avatar craze had mostly cooled. I guess I underestimated the rage of the Zutara fandom lol

Anyways, I'm doing my best to keep the story rolling! I have the next few chapters planned out, you guys are in for some fun very soon! Thank you all for reading, I'm so glad that you all are enjoying reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it.

* * *

It was only a day until the masquerade. Katara still didn't know what she would be dressed for, nor when her family would be arriving. _It has to be soon. My dad said he'd be leaving only a week after me...he should be here in a few days. Then we can talk about reparations with Chief Arnook. Everything will work out, I know it._ She wasn't overly concerned about the formal event, though her friends were looking forward to the festivities. Katara was trying to remain focused on her goals here. She spent her morning as she often did, bathing herself in her courtyard.

Katara loved the feel of the warm water running over her face as she splashed in her private bathing pool. She loved being clean; the fresh smell of it, the washing away of the dirt, all of it was soothing to her body and her soul. Maybe it was part of being a waterbender, like how Toph loved to layer herself in dirt. _No, Toph is just dirty._ The smell of her scented oils made her sigh in deep pleasure.

Ka stayed nearby, her pink tongue stretching out as she yawned. She was stretched across a large stone slab, enjoying the hot sun that was so rare for her in the South Pole. Her gold eyes opened lazily, surveying the courtyard as her master bathed. Katara had never felt safer, not even with Appa; a snow leopard caribou was a beast that lived and died for its rider. Like her ancestors before her, Ka remained on guard for any sign of danger.

But there was no danger here. Not here, in this decadent palace. And especially not to a waterbender surrounded by her element. Katara ducked her head beneath the surface, rinsing the soap from her body and emerging as slick as an arctic seal. She squeezed the water from her long hair, enjoying the heat of the warm spring.

As she tossed the wet rope of hair behind her with a _slap_ , she noticed, for a second time, the window at the other end of the courtyard.

Curious, she stood and left the pool. Her hands covered her body self consciously, but without any real fear; she knew that there was no other way into the courtyard, and that the curtain was closed from the inside. Still, she wondered why it was there in the first place. It seemed innocuous, but she approached it regardless. There was no harm in looking, anyways, just to know what was on the other side.

She stopped in front of the window. The curtain covering it was old, she could tell from the faded gold design on the hem, but of a fine material, thick and sturdy. She fingered it gently before pulling it open just enough to peek through.

It was dark in the room. She could see furniture, and what looked like old books, and some scrolls hanging on the wall. It seemed over-full, like maybe a storage room. She couldn't see much, really, as there were no lights in the room, and the other windows were also blocked with curtains. She peered through the glass for a few moments more before shrugging and letting the curtain fall.

As she walked back to her pool, she heard the sharp crack of something falling.

Jumping, she whipped back around to see that she hadn't closed the curtain fully; it hung open only two or three inches, but it was more than enough to see that the room wasn't for storage after all. She met the wide, shocked eyes of the Fire Lord.

Zuko's mouth was open, he was totally frozen, hands curled as though he'd been carrying something. A torch had been placed in the room, only moments after she had turned. Katara assessed all of this in a fraction of a second; in the next second, she burst the water from the pool into steam, totally hiding her from view as she sprinted from the courtyard.

Katara slammed the door shut behind her and stood in total shock, shaking from the surprise. Her breath burst from her in gasps as she fought to control her pounding heart, the surging adrenaline that stemmed from her anger and embarrassment. She was flushed deep red from the rage, the humiliation, and...something deeper, darker than she could recognize. Her breath stilled as she carefully dissected this new feeling inside of her. She stood, wrapping herself slowly into her sarashi, sliding into her familiar tunic.

It was something kin to pleasure, a dark enjoyment that she'd never known before. Her anger faded slowly, as did the embarrassment, and all she had left was that warm fluttering feeling similar to the one she'd had in the springs behind the palace, when he'd met her gaze and smiled. He had looked at her again...at her totally bare body, and the _heat_ that she'd seen in his golden eyes...they were shocked, yes, but also consumed in a molten fire that she'd never seen before in her life. He'd looked at her with raw, unadulterated desire. Her heart still pounded, but a dark thrill had replaced the confusion that had taken her over before.

Did she... _like_ him? Was she interested in Zuko? Katara mulled over the idea as she braided her hair. He was handsome, that was certain. He'd grown into his features very well, and it didn't hurt that he'd matured so much in their time apart. He'd always been a serious boy, but as a man...

She rubbed her head. It shouldn't _matter_ , she was with Aang. She shouldn't be having these feelings at all, let alone analyzing them. She shouldn't be enjoying the way he looked at her, the way his eyes seemed to linger on hers when they spoke, the way they'd locked on to her body as though she were the only woman worth looking at. The way that she was beginning to look forward to seeing him around the palace.

Katara needed to purge these feelings before she saw Aang again. She knew that she wouldn't be able to bear looking into his sweet, adoring eyes while she hid deeply repressed feelings for their friend. For the _Fire Lord_. Or even if they were real feelings at all.

She tied off her braid, resolute in her determination to straighten out her real feelings out before facing her friends and family. It shouldn't be hard; he was one of her oldest enemies, after all. She could push him away again just as easily, she was sure.

She huffed, smoothing out the folds of her tunic before opening the door into the main lounge of her rooms.

"Surprise!" Aang's big smile greeted her, throwing her totally off balance as her mouth dropped open. She didn't move, not when he threw his arms up, and not when he dashed forward and hugged her tightly. "I know I should have let you know, but it was sort of short notice, I'm sorry! Are you excited to see me, sweetie?"

Aware that she hadn't said anything, Katara blinked and quickly recovered.

"Yes! Wow! I had no idea you were coming, when did you fly in?" she asked, tightening her arms around him. She fought down the complex feelings that his presence gave her; now was not the time nor the place to be addressing them. Aang deserved honesty, and she didn't even know how she herself felt. Something was wrong though, and she'd need to sit down and talk about it with him eventually. But for now...for now she needed to know why she was feeling like this.

"I just came in this morning on Appa, Sokka sent me a letter a while back saying you'd all be here. I thought I'd snoop around and find you, it was pretty easy!" He laughed, the mischievous grin looking boyish on his round face. Katara flinched. "I've been in Ba Sing Se for the last few weeks. Sorry, I wasn't able to get many letters out; I sent one to you, and one to Sokka because I knew he was in the Kyoshi Islands. It's been really rough, but I've been helping King Kuei with distributing his goods from reparations, and he's been redesigning his economic laws, so he asked for my input. _Super_ boring, though. I barely stayed awake through the meetings."

"Aang, I-"

" _Katara,_ I'm sorry!" Zuko burst into the room, his red robes flying back as he rushed in, but he pulled up short when he saw Aang standing alongside Katara. Abashed, he hesitated for only a moment before quickly bowing. "Aang...I didn't know you were here." His voice was level, but she noticed that the back of his neck was flushed deep red. Aang didn't seem to notice, returning the bow.

"Sorry Zuko, I should have come to see you first. I'm still learning some of the courtesies, I was just really excited to see Katara again." His hand reached out and touched hers. Katara felt deep shame when Zuko stood and glanced briefly over their clasped hands. He quickly averted his eyes. "What were you sorry for? What happened?" His innocent expression belied how little he perceived sometimes. Zuko cleared his throat, deliberately avoiding making eye contact with either of them.

"Nothing," he lied smoothly. "I was scheduled to meet with her today, and I missed it. I don't like wasting anybody's time."

"Oh. Well, it's good to see you again! You look taller." Aang stood on his toes, but he was still pretty short; he'd only recently caught up to Katara, who didn't even reach Zuko's shoulders. "We should get the old gang together sometime! Sokka and Suki will be here soon too!" He'd moved on quickly, having no reason to suspect deceit from either of his friends. Katara cringed beside him, wishing that she didn't have the confusing feelings that fought inside of her.

"Yeah, that sounds...fun," said Zuko with some difficulty. He rubbed the back of his head in a gesture similar to what he'd done when she'd known him as a teenager. "But I have to get out of here. I have, uh, another meeting to attend to." He bowed again, this one brief, and he was gone before Aang rose.

Aang stared at the empty doorway with mild confusion, but finally shrugged. When he turned back to Katara, he looked guilty.

"I really should have gone to find him first," he admitted. "It's courtesy, when you're going somewhere, to greet the leader. I keep forgetting that he's the Fire Lord now, and not just Zuko. I hope he's not mad...he seemed upset."

Katara couldn't find the words to reassure him. She simply shrugged, unable to speak. He didn't seem to notice her embarrassed silence, brushing it off as nothing.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's fine. I'll drag him out to do something fun while I'm here. Meanwhile, are you doing anything right now?"

Silly question. Katara had had nothing to do all day but wonder when her father would arrive. For the last few days, really. She shook her head silently, not knowing what to say. If there was anything to say at all. She was glad to see Aang, but his return had made it clear that he was a world away from her in many ways. She felt deep affection when she looked into his adoring eyes...but she couldn't shake the searing heat that had burned in Zuko's. Would she ever see them in Aang's? Would she ever feel that swooping feeling in her stomach with him?

He seemed oblivious to the turmoil in her. "We can go flying on Appa, I know it's been a while for you! Then we can grab some food at the fair, and go to the new opera playing tonight! I hear it's _super_ romantic." He nudged her with his elbow, eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Katara returned his smile, but felt that cool emptiness where only moments ago there been fire.

"Yeah...sounds fun, Aang," she said, shoving the reluctance from her voice. She did love spending time with Aang. But she felt like a liar, when she hid her confliction from him. She'd _never_ hidden anything from him. She swallowed her guilt and smiled. She had to, at least for now. At least until she could sort herself out. "Do I need to dress up?"

"Just wear whatever is comfortable, sweetie."

* * *

Katara had to admit, she did have fun with Aang. He was energetic, funny, eager to impress her. She'd never had attention like this before or during the war; dating options were limited then. After a thrilling flight on Appa, Katara was in a much better mood than she'd been in before. And now, at the festival, they enjoyed refreshing cups of iced coconut-mango juice together. Katara, however, eyed Aang carefully over the edge of her cup.

Aang was a handsome guy. He was getting taller, he had expressive gray eyes, a contagious smile, and he was a talented bender. There was a lot to like about him, and the number of his fan groups was a testament to that. She certainly had deep and irrevocable feelings for him; they'd gone through a lot together, not just as a team, but the two of them. She couldn't deny the pride that came with being the avatar's girlfriend, either. Nobody had a boyfriend like she did, and anybody who saw them together could tell that Aang was head over heels for her.

As he sipped at his juice, his wide eyes met hers, and he grinned before blowing giant bubbles into his drink to make her laugh. And it did. He always made her laugh, which she loved. But when even as she smiled, she felt that same coolness that had always been present with Aang. She'd attributed it to the comfortable nature of their relationship before...but now, she wondered if even that was true. She'd been comfortable with Zuko too, before. They had traveled together for a long time, she knew everything about him from the timbre of his snoring to the darkest depth of his family problems. She'd fought and sparred with him, rooted for and against him time and time again. She'd never felt that spark of interest towards him before, until that curious feeling from that morning.

And she'd considered her relationship to him equally comfortable as the one that she had with Aang. Comfortable was good...wasn't it?

She looked at him again, as he dragged her to the deep-fried pickled radishes that he knew she loved. She did love Aang. But that fire that she'd felt before, with Jet once and maybe just a little bit now...she just didn't have it. Maybe it was something that she could learn. Maybe it would come one day, when he was older, when he grew into his gangly limbs. Maybe.

She crunched on a radish, letting the sweet sourness flood her mouth. She was happy with Aang. He cared about her. Shouldn't that be enough? She returned his smile, and when he held her hand she let him guide her towards the theater.

"This is one of my favorite operas! It's about a Crown Fire Prince who wants to marry a non bender...hundreds of years ago, it was forbidden by royal decree for any prince or princess in the Fire Nation to court or marry a non bender. Non bending princes and princesses were actually demoted to dukes and duchesses too! The Fire Lord couldn't have an heir if they didn't have at least one bending kid. Until this one guy, the only child of Fire Lord Zhal, ran away with a non bender, and the Fire Lord died, and...well, I won't give away the ending!" Aang described the opera excitedly, and Katara couldn't help being interested. She knew very little about the rich history of the Fire Nation, and this was definitely a good place to get acquainted with it. "I haven't seen it as an opera, I just saw a play about it when I was a kid. It's a super old classic."

"Great! Let's go, doesn't it start soon?" She was surprised at what a good time she was having. It definitely didn't help with the guilt that she felt over her personal confliction...but it made it a bit easier to put it out of her mind. She focused herself on the good time that she was having with Aang.

The line outside of the theater was pretty long; she and Aang ignored the awed looks from the others, and waited patiently until they were at the front. The man punching tickets froze when he noticed the blue tattoos on Aang's hands.

"The-the Avatar!" he exclaimed, dropping into a deep bow. "I had no idea that you were coming, sir! Please, allow us to upgrade you to a top box."

"Um...no, it's fine. I like being close to the stage. Sweetie, do you want a top box?" Aang turned to Katara, who shrugged.

"I guess we're not really dressed for it. I don't mind floor seats, I was in a floor seat last ti-" she broke off suddenly, remembering with a deep blush the last time that she'd come to an opera. Aang's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You went to an opera? Which one?" he asked with interest. The ticket puncher cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing towards the long line, but unwilling to reprimand the avatar. "Oh! Right. So, floor seats then?" Katara nodded, and they slipped inside.

The interior of the theater was exactly as she remembered it, beautifully decorated with tall ceilings and lovely ivory pillars. They giggled at the extravagant outfits that some of the higher ranked Fire Nation nobles wore, nudging through crowds until they found their way to their seats. They were good seats, around the middle of the room. And Katara loved the feeling of blending into a crowd; with nearly all of the lights out and hushed whispers on all sides, it was a rare and encompassing feeling. She wiggled down into her seat as the lights on the stage lit up into a dim glow.

"The Fire Lord!"

"The Fire Lord is here...who's that with him?"

"She's beautiful."

Gasps surrounded her as people turned in their seats. Katara, surprised, turned with them. Zuko was walking into one of the top boxes, dressed in a sleek, lovely black robe, tied with a gold belt. He had his royal headpiece in, his hair drawn back into the traditional topknot. His guards marched in on all sides, taking up post beside his seat and by the door, as still as statues. And beside him...

Mai looked beautiful in red and black robes, her calm face lovely in the low lighting. She seemed to not notice the hushed whispers, the pointed fingers; as a member of nobility, she was accustomed to the constant attention from people in the capital. She blinked impassively at the stage before quirking her head slightly and laughing at something that Zuko said.

Her breath catching in her throat, Katara whipped back around in her seat. Annoyed, she determinedly stared at the stage. _So I guess he doesn't need to go as Lee when he's going with a_ real _noblewoman._ She couldn't help the bitter thought from rising to the surface of her mind.

"Um...are you okay?" murmured Aang, worry etched into his young face. Katara realized that she was scowling, a second too late.

"Sorry," she murmured, tucking a thick lock of hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and shoved the memory of laughing at the last opera next to Zuko out of her mind. What business was it of hers if he was here with Mai? Why should she care? She knew that he was looking for a wife, and she'd made it perfectly clear to him that she wasn't here for that. "I'm fine. Just...I just have a bit of a headache. I'm fine, really."

"Okay. Need me to get you some water?" he asked, ever the concerned boyfriend. Katara tried to smile, but she felt heavy for some reason.

"No thanks. It's not that bad, and the play is about to start. Let's just watch." She stubbornly ignored the quiet giggles around her, the way that some of the crowd would turn in their seats to see the Fire Lord.

The play was beautiful. It was a very different one than the comedy that she'd watched last time; the actors and actresses were dressed in the finest robes, the scenery was painted with breathtaking artistry. She felt herself falling into the beauty of the story, allowed it to carry away her own conflicting thoughts in the immersion of another story.

And it was a fantastic immersion. She felt herself falling quickly into the story, her heart going out to Prince Izuka as he wooed the lovely Suma. Their voices were incredible, rising and falling in totally synchronized crescendos. It was incredible...and she wished wholeheartedly that she felt the sort of all-consuming fire that the actors sang about. She was having fun, but the way that they looked at each other, the way that Suma sang about sleepless nights and dazzling days, it threw her off. She'd never felt that before.

As they sang together about their love, rising higher every day like the sun, Katara felt a little bit stuffy. Everything from that morning, from Zuko seeing her bathing in the courtyard to Aang's unexpected appearance, had just thrown her entire day off. She rubbed her head, feeling very different than she had at the festival. When they launched into another song about how unbearable their days apart were, she stood. She brushed off Aang's confusion with a small wave.

"It's fine, I'm just...my headache came back. I'm going to grab some water, I'll be right back," she whispered. Aang nodded, though the concern didn't leave his soft gray eyes. She wove her way quickly through the other seats, her heart feeling sad and heavy as she walked.

As she made her way towards the back of the theater, she felt her eyes drift up towards the top boxes.

Mai and Zuko watched the play with interest, grace and regality rendering both faces statuesque. Mai's lips moved as she commented on something; after a moment, she leaned over and they touched Zuko's neck.

Katara felt angry tears that she didn't fully understand fill her eyes as she left the theater.

* * *

"I hate these operas, you know," Mai sighed. She pursed her lips, but didn't scowl. "I'm glad that you don't drag me to these anymore. Besides today, I mean." Zuko rolled his eyes as the lights began to dim. He did love the local performances, even when he felt obligated to go as the Fire Lord. The upturned faces annoyed him a bit less when he had company.

"Yeah, well, you're here as a favor to me," he replied, accepting a small dumpling from a servant's tray. "I trust you, more than I trust most people. Even though we're not together, you know I still care about you." He blushed slightly, not accustomed to speaking his feelings to others. Mai smiled, touching his arm affectionately.

"Of course. And you know I care about you. So...what did you want to talk about?" she asked, settling back and taking a small glass of wine from another tray. The actress warbled about love or something, she wasn't particularly fond enough of this play to pay attention. Besides, she'd heard the story of Prince Izuka and Princess Suma a thousand times growing up. It's not like the classics changed. "I'm assuming it's about this completely insane competition that your council is making you do."

"How'd you guess," muttered Zuko sullenly. He paid close attention to the graceful dance between the lovers on stage, enjoying the melody of the duet. "I know I'm expected to enter a political marriage. And I know it's supposed to be with one of the women from our own court. I just...I don't know. I have no idea where to start. How do you just _pick_ somebody that you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with?"

Mai smiled wryly, picking at a pan-fried fish on another tray. She slipped a soft bit of the stomach meat into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"I don't know. I guess you could just do what I did, and go along with it," she said silkily. He shot her a glare. "Sorry. Just a joke...I was lucky that I really did like you. Do, I mean. You're a catch, Zuko, don't let your council forget that. You can have whoever you want, it's your country. Any woman in the nation would be head over heels running to the alter."

"I know," he growled, leaning back in his chair. "I'm not worried about not having options. I know there's great women out there. I just...I feel pressured to pick soon. And I'm trying, I really am. I've taken a few of the noblewomen out, it's just...I don't feel it. It's not there. Maybe that's not important, but how am I supposed to choose, then?" They sat in silence for a few moments as both mulled it over. Mai swirled the deep red liquid in her glass, watching it move in rapid spins.

"Maybe you should...expand your options," she said quietly. She remembered, not for the first time, the way that he'd watched the waterbender. Katara. The way he'd stared as though he didn't need to watch anything else. "Maybe to somebody outside of the Fire Nation. That's why the others are here, aren't they? To propose marital alliances with you?" It made her sad to think of him finding somebody else, but she _was_ his friend. She wanted Zuko to be happy, if that option was still even open to him. He didn't respond immediately.

"I don't think I can," he finally replied, so softly that she hardly heard him. "There'd be open revolt. I'm already pretty unpopular right now, as far as Fire Lords go. There's a lot of support for reinstating my father, or Azula. Marrying a foreign woman...there'd be riots. They'd dethrone me."

"I don't know about that," said Mai, watching Suma weep loudly about their forbidden love. "The Fire Nation has always loved its romances. Maybe there's a smart way you'd be able to go about it. That's what your council is for, right? Managing your decisions, your public appearances."

He didn't say anything. They continued to watch the play, the sickeningly sweet love story that somehow nobody ever forgot. Mai sneered; she had never been one for love stories. But she was in the solid minority of the general population: many men and women in the audience dabbed at their eyes. The actress was pretty convincing.

"You should take Katara out," said Mai suddenly. She eyed the tray of puddings, selecting a savory rice pudding to top off the fish. Zuko's shocked stare lingered on her, as she just as delicately ignored it. She nibbled at a spoonful of pudding, enjoying the sweet dessert.

"That's...I don't know why-why..." he stammered, flushing darkly before shutting up and leaning back into his chair, fuming. "That's not relevant."

"Don't act like I don't know you," she said, pointing at him with her spoon. "I'm one of your oldest friends. I know you. Even Ty Lee noticed that you've got a soft spot for her. I don't know how serious it is, but since you're looking at your marriage options, maybe somebody that you already know could be a better option." It pained her to acknowledge it, but he deserved a friend that he could trust.

Zuko scowled, rather characteristically. "We were on a team together. She's just a friend." Mai knew better than to push Zuko when he didn't want to address something, so she didn't bother interrupting. "And my feelings aren't worth the trouble of fighting public opinion. I'm the Fire Lord. If that means I have to marry somebody that I don't know to make my people happy, then that's what it means." Mai sighed. She knew that she'd be saving Zuko a lot of trouble by marrying him...but she couldn't do it. Not when she knew that their relationship was based merely on convenience and power.

"Well, I think it's worth a try," she said quietly. When Zuko didn't respond, she leaned towards him, her lips nearly touching his neck as she whispered. "It's okay to get close to somebody else."

Zuko was quiet. They watched the rest of the play in silence.

* * *

Katara rubbed the tears from her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying; she had no reason to cry. It was a beautiful day, she'd had a great time with Aang, and she couldn't deny that she was glad to see him again. She couldn't deny that he cared deeply for her. He was an attentive boy, turning into a young man.

But she felt guilt, guilt over the infatuation that she just couldn't summon, over the distance that had been drawn between them over their time apart. He was the same Aang, and yet she just couldn't bridge the chasm that had widened in the years she'd spent slaving over her tribe. And, to her deepest shame, she felt terrible guilt over the way she just couldn't purge the image of Zuko's eyes from her mind. The fire that had engulfed them as he stared in raw shock at her bare body. Was it because he was a man now? Was it because _she_ had grown as well? Why couldn't she summon those feelings for Aang, the boy that she loved? Was it the kind of love that she wanted, this cool emptiness?

He didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve him either. Katara fought down her inner conflict, her self disgust, as she felt a presence approaching behind her. She sniffled quickly before taking a deep breath and turning around. Expecting Aang's expressive gaze, she completely froze as she realized that it hadn't been Aang to follow her out.

"I'm sorry, I was just...getting some air," said Zuko softly. "I didn't mean to startle you." He was so tall, his shoulders broader now. The cape that fell gracefully from them certainly didn't hurt. Katara smoothed back her hair hastily, hoping that her eyes weren't swollen.

"No, it's okay," she said quickly, avoiding eye contact. "I was just getting some water. I...didn't know you were here." The lie fell flat. Everybody had noticed that the Fire Lord was attending the opera, but he didn't comment on it.

"Listen," he said, his voice low. He averted his gaze now. "This morning- that was an accident. I'm extremely sorry. I should have told you that one of the private offices was connected to that courtyard. It's my fault, and I hope you can forgive me." He bowed deeply. Katara stared, shocked.

"Of course," she said hurriedly. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have been snooping. And, I mean, it's not like we're strangers. We used to swim together, back before the end of the war. It's not a big deal, right?" He rose slowly. When his eyes met hers, she felt her breath stop in her chest.

There it was. That bolt of lightning that she'd been searching for all afternoon. As he stared deeply into her eyes, she felt her stomach fly. It was as though they spoke to her on an entirely different wavelength from the things that they said.

"No, it's not." He lied to her just as smoothly as he'd lied to Aang. Katara felt a stab of pain. When had he gotten so good at it? "I'll have the window sealed. I should have done it a long time ago, honestly. And...and we're still friends. Right?"

"Right." She returned his smile. She watched him leave with some strange feeling that she couldn't understand.

After a few minutes, she returned to her seat, weaving back through the crowds to join Aang. It was close to the end of the opera; Suma was now being crowned as a Fire Princess, tears of joy streaking down her cheeks as she kissed Prince Izuka passionately.

"Everything okay sweetie?" Aang's worried eyes touched her deeply. She squeezed his hand, managing a small smile.

"Yeah. Everything is fine."

Zuko wasn't the only one who could lie.

* * *

Yay, finished the chapter in one day! Hope you guys enjoyed it, things are starting to speed up between our favorite couple. If there's anything that you want to say, I accept all forms of compliments and/or constructive criticism! I love reviews so much! So please drop me a note, I'd love to know how you feel about the fic. And if there's anything that you want to see!

Otherwise, have a great weekend everybody! I'll post the next chapter soon!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA

So many reviews! Thanks everyone! I read every single one of them!

I had several people note the tie between the comics and the fic, yes I have read the comics, and I'm trying to tie as much of it into this fic as logically makes sense. I think it helps a lot with maintaining character for all of them. Mai does run a flower shop in the comics, and she seems happier doing so, so I decided to run with that development for her.

My FAVORITE comments by far have been the general disgust with Aang and Katara's "sweetie", which yes is canonical to the comic. I enjoyed the comments though, because there are entire pages in the comics dedicated to the "oogie"-ness of them doing that, I'm glad that I've been able to recreate it so well lol. Anyways yes I also hate Kataang, but I'm also trying to stay as true to the story as I can, so you'll have to bear with me for a little bit longer. Don't worry; the end is coming hahaha

And one person asked for more dialogue...this chapter will have a bit more, the next two will be very limited for plot purposes, but I think that you're going to love them anyways! After the next two chapters, the Zutara will be moving along. So hang tight!

* * *

"Oh dang, I forgot about the stupid dance."

Katara slapped her face in frustration as her staff ran around happily, each donning a formal outfit from a different nation. They were exuberantly criticizing each other's designs, totally ignoring the grim expression on their lady's face.

"Akoati, that's the worst airbending outfit I've ever seen. Why do you have a _cape_?! Have you ever seen Avatar Aang wear a cape?"

"Yeah, well, we're _in_ the Fire Nation, Satori, so I really have no idea why you're wearing a _cloak_. It's the middle of summer."

"It's for the aesthetic, dummy. Not that I'd expect you to even know what that means."

Katara dropped her face into her hands. Dinner with the gang had been fun the night before...at least, with the members of the gang who were still here. Plus Roraima. She, Toph, Aang, and Roraima had gone out to get some local snacks, and it had been a lot like the old times. Unlike Toph, Roraima was very excited for the masquerade coming up, and Aang had quickly caught on to her enthusiasm. He'd started to say that he had a formal outfit already, but Roraima interrupted him, saying that they shouldn't tell each other what they had. The fun would be in figuring out who was who.

Katara had listened with mild interest, her thoughts a thousand miles away. She desperately needed her father's advice, and not just on the reparations exchange with the Northern Water Tribe. They had all agreed not to tell, and though Katara nodded, she hadn't really been thinking of the ball.

Now here she was, the morning of the masquerade, and with nothing to wear. She hadn't even considered which nation she was going to represent...she could have asked Roraima for a dress, or even Toph since she'd grown so much taller, but they'd all agreed not to tell each other already. Maybe she should ask anyways. They'd want her to go to the ball more than they'd want her to keep her outfit secret.

"My lady?"

She turned at the low, husky tone of her head attendant, the older woman Akatsa. She held up a long dress bag, her expression only slightly smug.

"Akatsa! You're a miracle worker!" Katara gushed, sighing in relief as she walked towards the attendant. Akatsa merely shrugged, glowing under the knowledge of her management skills. "Thank you so much!" She unzipped the bag, feeling her breath leave at the beauty of the dress inside.

 _So...Fire Nation..._ It was a beautiful dress, something commissioned from a local designer. The long sleeves were off the shoulder, the dress was split up both sides of the legs, and there were artful cuts along the sides, intended to reveal hints of dark skin. It was absolutely lovely...

But also pretty revealing. Katara blushed just looking at it. Akatsa must have sensed her hesitation, because she immediately pulled Katara into a chair and began to brush out her thick, curly mane.

"You're going to look amazing, sweetheart. I'm going to put your hair up into a topknot, I even bought a lovely gold pin with the money that your father sent us with. You're going to look beautiful. Satori, go get the mask. Don't worry, it's not as revealing as it looks in the bag. I'm sure you'll fill it out beautifully." Akatsa began painting red onto Katara's eyelids. Her description of the dress wasn't exactly reassuring, but at this point she was just glad to have something to wear.

Satori approached shyly with the mask. It was beautiful, a red and gold half mask with pins on the sides to hold it to her face, perfectly matching the red and gold dress. And to top off the effects, long dark gloves to match the deep burgundy of the hems. Katara stood, her team helping her zip up the back of the snug dress.

It hugged her curves perfectly. Of course Akatsa would know her exact measurements...but this was the most form fitting outfit that she'd worn since her arrival.

The mask, the gloves, dark heeled shoes, and a lovely red and gold dress. Katara gazed at herself in the full length mirror. For the final touch, Akatsa pulled the top half of her hair into a neat bun, piercing the gold band with a pin to hold it in place. She half smiled. It wasn't the best illusion. She might be dressed like a Fire Nation noblewoman, but her dark skin, though flattered by the deep reds and golds, gave away her ethnicity right away. Additionally, her curly chestnut hair just wasn't common for Fire Nation women.

Despite that, the colors were very appealing on her. She blushed deeply at the sight of her own curves, accentuated in tempting glimpses through beautiful red satin. The olive tone of her skin seemed to glow in red, in a way that it never had in blue. She'd worn Fire Nation clothes before, but that had been undercover, and she had never looked at herself like this. But here, and now, in this dress, she looked incredible. Exotic, even. She was blushing deeply at the vision of her own body on display like this...

And yet, she couldn't see the blush. The mask perfectly covered her cheeks in a way that concealed any hint of the nervousness that her dress incited in her. In fact, she almost looked...seductive. Her eyes, a deep blue, glittered behind the mask; her lips were parted in a coy smile. Any trace of nerves or fear was hidden away. She could be _anybody_.

And that alone gave Katara the courage, the confidence, to smile at her reflection. To shift her hips slightly, run her hands up the silky sides of the dress and imagine herself to be somebody else. Her smile widened, showed off white teeth that glistened like fangs in the afternoon light.

"You look amazing!" gasped Satori, her hands clasped in front of her. She eyed her own cloak with disdain now, pulling it from her shoulders. "I borrowed this from one of the maids...I wish I could have bought a new dress. Oh well. This one is good enough, I suppose." Her dress was more gold than red, with a cropped top and a long skirt. "Good enough to get the attention of a dreamy nobleman, maybe!"

"Oh, please. No nobleman is going to be fooled by you." Akoati, as sharp-tongued as ever, held no punches. Satori flushed an angry red, yanking her three-quarters mask down irritably.

"All right, are we all ready?" asked Katara, sighing deeply. Her attendants nodded eagerly, having been dressed for hours out of sheer excitement for the event. It was uncommon for attendants to be invited to take an active part in these sort of events in the Fire and Earth Nation. In the Water Tribes there was much less formality between ranks and classes. Well, the Northern tribe had always been a bit more strict on some traditions, but at least in the south there were very few class boundaries. So, having been bored all week, they had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Everybody gathered up handbags and began the long walk to the east wing courtyard, the largest in the palace. Katara felt a bit of excitement fill her as they made their way towards the party; this was supposed to be a really big deal in the capital. Masquerades were very stylish right now, and an inter-cultural one was unheard of. And she had to admit that she was starting to look forward to it.

They passed many others on the way, and it was indeed a strange sight. For once, the Fire Nation colors were the minority in the palace; in their places walked airbenders, waterbenders, and earthbenders. Some even combined colors and designs from multiple nations, blending colors with genuine skill. The care that they'd spent in researching the background of their costumes was evident; she was honestly surprised by the accuracy of many of the robes and dresses. Some were merely dyed Fire Nation clothing. Others were elaborate and exact models of foreign formal attire.

 _What a good idea...this is a real show of appreciation for each other's backgrounds. I can't wait to see the entertainment that they have planned._ As they entered the courtyard, Katara was struck by the beauty of the decorations. The courtyard was massive; stone walls and ledges encircled all of the seating areas. Beautiful lights in red, blue, green, and orange hung all over the place in delicately designed paper lanterns, each holding one of the four nations' insignia. There were small crowds of people everywhere, nibbling on finger foods and drinking from small glasses. Although they were fairly early, many were already laughing, bright pink from the strong drinks being served.

When a servant, dressed as a very fancy looking airbender, offered Katara a glass, she felt herself reach for it after only a minor hesitation. _I'm somebody else tonight...and apparently, she doesn't mind some drinks._ Katara sipped at it, and was surprised to taste an unexpected sweetness.

"Go on, have fun," she said encouragingly to her attendants. They all exchanged nervous looks before dispersing into other groups. Katara walked through the courtyard examining every tiny detail, from the carved ice meer-penguins to the beautifully carved torches. She wondered where Toph and Aang were. She knew that Roraima was wearing water tribe colors.

"Hey, want to dance?"

Katara jumped and turned around. A young man held out his hand to her, dressed in earth nation apparel. So...probably Fire Nation, since he wasn't one of her own attendants. Or he could actually be an Earth guy who didn't feel like playing along with the games; doubtful, due to his mask. She shook her head, smiling kindly.

"Sorry, I'm waiting for my friends," she said gently. He shrugged, not upset about being turned down. He had looked good; his green and yellow robes looked finely made and well fitted. And he'd had very gentle eyes, a soft brown that surpassed national boundaries. She almost regretted having to say no. But she really did need to find her friends. This was supposed to be _fun_. So she began to wander through the constantly growing crowd, trying to see if she could figure out who was who.

As the minutes passed, it grew more difficult. She knew that Roraima was Water Nation tonight, but so were many of the other visitors. She thought that this would be easy, but many young men and women filled the courtyard, each dressed in fantastic imitations of each others' national dress. Katara eyed a slender, dark-haired woman who could be Toph, dressed in a beautiful ice-blue Northern Water Tribe gown. But when she turned around, she had rich brown eyes.

The music changed, and she was shocked to hear her the beat to one of the oldest songs that she knew. It had no words, merely a powerful drum beat, but here it was accompanied by many smaller drums and a delicate stringed instrument. The thrum of the rhythm shook her to her core, and Katara closed her eyes.

She was four again, and Gran-gran was teaching her and Sokka the steps to one of their tribe's oldest dances. It was a celebration dance conducted at all occasions; after hunts, weddings, births, and death, to celebrate the crossing of a beloved family member to the other side. She and Sokka had swayed from side to side, stomped their feet, and swung fat fists in pure enjoyment of the pounding beat. Gran-gran had watched with love, let them dance until they were breathless, and then she'd stood and showed it to them.

"It's done with a partner," she had said, her wrinkled lips curved into a smile. "So Katara, Sokka, watch me, and then go ahead and face each other."

She'd been younger then, but she was still starting to bend with age. Katara had watched, transfixed, as she'd swayed elegantly to the rhythm, stomped her feet in perfect time with the drums and arcing them when they paused. The way that she danced had flung the skirt of her tunic in beautiful circles, the light thrown from her bright pendants sparkling across the igloo.

Katara was thirteen, teaching the youngest children how to dance. She'd swayed her hips, twirled her feet, her heart knowing a rhythm that she'd heard for years. Sokka didn't enjoy dancing as much as she had, but he'd been willing to play the drums so she could teach the youngest children and carry down the legacy of their ancestors.

Katara was seventeen, dancing with her entire village for the first time as the first couple married after the end of the war. They'd had little to gift the lovely pair, but everything that they had was pooled to make sure that they had enough to begin a life together. She'd watched their ancient dance performed for the first time by many, and had no words to describe how powerful that moment had been to her. With her eyes closed, Katara smiled slowly. Even with her room decked in her national colors, she felt closer to her tribe than she had since she'd arrived.

When she opened her eyes, another young man stood before her.

Katara would have waved him off, but he was dressed in an exceptionally accurate Southern Water Tribe warrior's dress. He wore a deep blue hide chest piece with silver lunar symbols across it, trimmed with white fur. Gray steel gauntlets covered his forearms, and he wore a blue tunic with gray hide pants. His helmet was a traditional wolf design, but the headpiece dipped so low that she could only see his mouth. Even his jawline was covered with the sides.

"Wow," she said with genuine admiration. "That's amazing! Who did you borrow it from?" She'd never seen that lunar design before, so nobody that she knew. The mouth curved almost imperceptibly into a half smile.

"It's mine." His voice was soft, response clipped. Katara returned the wry smile; tall, dark, and mysterious? He was exactly the type of person that she needed to stay away from. But the heady beat of the drums called to her irresistibly, and she was dying to dance. She looked side to side, but Aang was nowhere in sight, nor anybody else that she might know. When she turned back, she saw that he was holding out his hand. "Come dance. I know you want to." Katara generally would have rolled her eyes, but she was curious about this guy.

"I'll show you how to dance," she replied, slapping his hand to the side lightly and leading the way to the center of the courtyard.

Her tribe members took of the center space, dancing in unison to the quickening beat. Several others joined, their movements slow and rough. Katara noticed with pride that Akatsa was teaching two Fire Nation women how to do the twirls, which they couldn't quite copy. Her grace had not died with her age. One of the Northern Water Tribe duchesses, dressed in airbender robes but easily recognizable, knew the moves. She had likely learned from Chief Arnook, and was now showing the other how to do it with slow and careful steps.

Katara walked confidently to the center of the courtyard. Her own tribe members made space for her, recognizing their lady. Others watched with growing interest as she gracefully extended her wrist to her partner, inviting him to dance.

She was surprised to see that he'd extended his at the exact same time.

Intrigued, Katara circled his wrist in a half-moon to touch the other side, her surprise growing when he mirrored the movement with impeccable timing. He... _knew_ this dance. Had a water tribe warrior slipped into the palace? When her confused eyes slipped up, his smile had broadened to reveal a glint of white teeth. He was teasing her. She scowled, but when her foot slid in a smooth crescent, his step matched hers exactly. When she twirled, her back to him, he met her halfway, his wrist touching hers before they twirled in unison in the other direction. She blushed deeply, remembering the sparks that had flown at the first wedding in the south when the couple had performed this spin. Her attendants, having been standing in surprised silence, began to clap along with the drums. Katara danced faster as the beat quickened, stunned when he mirrored her spinning kick exactly. Many of the children or less talented dancers would merely turn during the kicks, but his agility seemed to match hers.

Katara's turns took her slowly closer to her partner, as the dance was intended to do. She flushed darkly when she realized that they might actually complete the dance, but gritted her teeth in her determination to not be shown up by some stranger. She narrowed her eyes, wondering again if a warrior from her tribe had snuck into the palace, but his smirk was smug. This guy had to be Fire Nation, if his light skin indicated anything. And the eyes, glittering through the slits in the helmet, were momentarily gold.

Katara felt her heart fly into her throat as she touched his ankle with hers, alternating feet and then dancing closer. Could it be...?

She didn't have a moment's rest to wonder. He turned as she did, their next turn bringing them chest to chest. Wrists became hands, touching with fleeting intimacy before pulling back. The rhythm continued to beat faster, challenging them as they stomped along with it, their feet shaking the very stones as they dance, once playful, turned challenging. His eyes were locked onto hers, and she returned his gaze defiantly. Now their hands clasped, now he turned with her, not letting go as she used his anchor to leap higher.

And when the dance ended, her fingers were laced through his.

Katara stood totally still for a moment, panting hard as she regained her breath. The crowd stood in stunned silence for a few seconds before bursting into cheers and applause, and Katara hesitated for a moment until her partner pulled her into a low bow. She bowed, embarrassed, but remembered that her mask hid her blush effectively. She smiled coyly again.

She turned back to her partner, wanting desperately to be sure who he was. She touched the wolf helmet, and he didn't pull away; his eyes seemed to glow. But as she tugged on it, the next song began to play; a slow, pulsing dance that Katara didn't recognize.

He paused, then pulled back, his hand raising again. Katara cocked her head but didn't resist as he tugged her back towards him gently.

"I don't know this song," she said quietly, enjoying the music nonetheless. He laughed shortly.

"I'm surprised, you're dressed for it," he replied, hands tightening on hers. He guided her firmly in a spin, his foot planted firmly as the other traced a graceful arc behind him. "I'll lead." He stepped towards her, closer than they'd danced even at the end of her tribal song. She gasped, stepping back instinctively, but he regained ground with a step forward. There was hardly an inch between them.

"This is a little close," she whispered, conscious of her attendants' eyes on them. She tentatively glanced as they turned, but couldn't tell if any of her friends were nearby. Others joined in the dance, turning with their partners in light steps. "We shouldn't." She knew that she should pull away, go find her friends in the crowd. But his eyes, the heat of his hands against her own, were hypnotizing.

"I'm not stopping you," he replied just as softly. He spun her, the red skirt swirling out behind her as he pulled her back into his arms. Now he grabbed her elbow, pulled her hand around his neck. Katara blushed and ducked her head to the side, but every other woman dancing did the same motion. There were many pairs now, due to the number of Fire Nation nobles and servants. She was surprised to see Uoko laughing flirtatiously with a young man dressed in Earth Kingdom attire, but clearly of Fire Nation origin. He spun her too, but she twisted until she was wrapped in his arms, her dark eyes gleaming with enjoyment.

Her wolf-man didn't hold her like that, but his hands didn't tremble against her waist. She saw her cousin sway and drop her hips sensually with the steps, and just seeing it made her feel hot. But she wasn't Katara right now. She could be anybody. So she turned back to her partner, and when she swayed her hips she was gratified to see him swallow under the helmet.

Unlike the last song, the rhythm seemed to slow the farther it continued along. The drums grew louder, heavier, and she noticed that most of the other couples were wrapped into each other. She shouldn't have been startled, then, when she felt his body against her back after the last turn. Katara felt the breath leave her.

"Should I be jealous? You're watching everybody else," her partner murmured against her neck. She felt goosebumps break across her skin in waves, _knew_ that she should leave him, but she felt that very familiar drop in her stomach again. The dryness of her mouth, the chills across her shoulders, all of it indicated that she knew who this was. Katara felt the world around them leave as he held her tightly for the first time. She stopped wondering where her friends were, who this was, and all she knew was that she didn't want this night to end. "I'm sorry if I'm boring you."

"What can I say, I'm hard to please," she replied in a voice that hardly even sounded like hers. Katara was aghast, recognizing the implication in her own words. But she was rewarded with another half smile, an acknowledgement of her toying.

"I guess I'll have to find a way to stand out."

They had stopped dancing. Katara stood, motionless, as the armored hand came up and caught the edge of her mask. It pulled up, revealing her glowing cheeks and her luminescent blue eyes. She felt paralyzed under the lights, the setting sun casting pink and violet streaks across a darkening sky. Her breath felt caught in her chest as the hand lifting her mask came down and rested on her cheek. It tugged at her as the wolf-man leaned forward.

When his lips touched hers, everything around her seemed to quiet. An irresistible fire burned, starting where their lips met and quickly consuming everything until she felt like she was melting. Like the world was nothing but fire. Heat seared over her, doubling as his hands tightened on her arms and pulled her into him.

* * *

Zuko hadn't expected to see her at all. The crowd had been so big here, and it had already been entertaining watching the others try to figure out who was who. Even many of his own servants eyed all of the young men carefully, most of them not knowing what their Fire Lord was dressed as.

For him, it had been wonderful to walk unseen through a crowd. The day had been busy with meetings and briefs, and he needed to unwind from his dull afternoon with his financial advisor. So he was grateful that his council had planned some fun for him. He hadn't had to worry about this, just let his servants dress him in one of his favorite pieces: a suit of Southern Water Tribe armor gifted to him after the end of the war by a warrior going home, an older man whom his father had imprisoned for years. When he'd heard that Zuko had overthrown his father and was campaigning for peace, he'd offered his armor in a gesture of goodwill between nations.

So here he was, thoroughly disguised and having a drink and a laugh watching some of the more ambitious women try to find him. _Good...maybe this will give some of the other guys a shot_. He saw Toph stomping around in an exquisite airbender dress, but hadn't seen any sign of the others.

At least, that had been until he saw Katara.

As though she could possibly disguise herself. She was one of only three Water Tribe noblewomen here, maybe ten women total if he included the servants. But it was fairly easy to tell them apart; their dress clothing leaned more towards common materials, whereas the nobles were dressed in well-made replicas. Anyhow, the northern women both had shorter, darker hair. He'd recognize Katara's thick chestnut curls any day of the week. And she certainly didn't try to hide them, tumbling down her back like a waterfall. He'd planned on just talking with her.

But when she turned to face him, he was absolutely struck by the dress that gripped her curves mercilessly, the way her shoulders and collarbone were emphasized as though she were a nymph rising from the water. The suggestive curve of her breast, revealed with a plunging neckline. His heart had pounded in his chest, mouth completely dry, when her luminous blue eyes turned to him under her mask, and he'd never appreciated this armor more than the moment that delight lit her face.

How could he resist asking her to dance? And the way that she swayed to the music, how could she refuse? And the surprise in her eyes when she'd realized that he knew her native dance...absolutely priceless. She couldn't know that his lessons following the war had included cultural lessons from masters of all nations, including her own. His uncle had arranged his tutors from his White Lotus society, and together they'd prepared him to be Fire Lord.

He knew an extensive amount about her history, her religions, her ancestors. So yes, he knew her tribal dances. But the confusion in her eyes had been worth nights of racking his brain over books thicker than he'd ever seen.

And it had been _thrilling_ , dancing with her. The fire in her eyes, the red and gold of her dress, the way that it spun around her, riding high and revealing more leg than she probably liked, all of it had enticed him into staying right there with Katara instead of wandering around and making useless small talk with assorted dignitaries. And, even knowing that she was with somebody, he couldn't deny that there was a spark between them that she didn't seem to want to extinguish either. The way she looked at him...it was the same look that she'd had in her eyes at the theater, in between bouts of breathless laughter.

The closer they danced, the hotter that fire burned in him, until she was in his arms and they were moving slowly in the crowd, surrounded and consumed by that fire, until that fire burned it all away and left them rocking slowly in smoldering ash.

It had felt natural, expected even, to unmask her. She seemed to expect it, anyways. She tipped her head back as he pushed her mask up, revealing her delicate cheekbones, her slim jawline and her expressive eyes, pushing the thick, dark curls back away from her face. She looked absolutely angelic under the light of the lanterns. Breathless, he hadn't been able to help the hand that drifted down her soft skin, his mouth feeling dry again all of a sudden. Her full lips parted, her eyes lit with the same fire that had been burning inside of him all week. It was that light that pulled him forward.

 _I'm not Zuko right now...I could be anybody. And a taste couldn't hurt._

If he thought that a small kiss would quench the inferno, he was horribly wrong. The moment that his lips touched hers, he felt it overcome him, and he was soon holding her against him, deepening the kiss as his mouth pulled at hers, and thrilled to his core when she returned that kiss with equal ferocity.

It was a second. It was a hundred years. But Katara pulled away with a faint pop, her face flushed dark red. Zuko wiped a tear from her eye instinctively, not realizing until it was too late that she was crying. Before he could say anything, she drew away from him, leaving a cold emptiness in her place.

She ran from him, a flash of dark hair that disappeared into the crowd before he could even ask her to wait. He stood alone, feeling an awfulness that he couldn't exactly place. He sighed, pushing up the wolf helmet, almost instantly getting swarmed by servants and nobles. _'Of course you feel awful. You tricked her into dancing with you. You can't keep yourself away from her. You_ kissed _her, when you know she's not available. She_ should _run.'_

Knowing that he didn't deserve to follow her, he let himself be guided away by his ever present and attentive staff.

* * *

Aang had been running late to the masquerade. He'd borrowed an excellent Fire Nation suit from Zuko a while ago, but it still had to be taken in. And that had taken a long time, even though they'd expedited the service so they could be done overnight, so he'd had to pick it up that morning. After that, he'd come across a little girl who had gotten lost...

So his day had progressed into a series of events that had demanded that he sacrifice his time, bit by bit, into helping others all day. As the avatar, it was his duty to help, and he was pretty easy to recognize with his prominent blue tattoos. It had quickly become a daily thing for him, to get roped into helping one person after another whenever he was out and about. And even though he'd been looking forward to this masquerade since the day before, he couldn't help but stop and painstakingly solve every little problem as they popped up.

As soon as he arrived, he wanted to locate his friends. He'd seen Roraima, dressed in a lovely pale blue gown with waves spiraling down the sides and feathers in her mask. She looked a little bit like Katara, except her hair was lighter and her eyes were hazel. But she'd looked lovely nonetheless, and he was gleeful that he'd picked her out of the crowd so quickly. Toph had found _him_ , and complimented his disguise. Apparently the hat hadn't been enough to fool the young heiress, who'd been in disguise with him in the Fire Nation for months during their time together. When he asked them if they'd seen Katara, both of them had shrugged, so he continued to look.

He'd met many kind people, and enjoyed watching everybody dance. They had finished some fast song with a heavy drum beat, and it had morphed into a slower one with stringed instruments. He hunted for Katara, wondering if he'd even recognize her.

But when he turned to the center of the courtyard after accidentally spilling some juice on a girl's sleeve, he knew that he recognized Katara. Who he didn't recognize was the man pushing up her mask slowly. He watched. He couldn't move, only watch as the man leaned forward, his wolf helmet still covering his face, and kissed her. Aang watched the way that he wrapped her up in his arms, the way that her hands drifted up for a moment...and then pushed him away. She ran then, and even when the man turned and raised his helmet, his back to Aang, he still couldn't make himself move.

Finally he found feet. And not wanting to be at the party anymore, Aang grabbed his glider and fled through the window.

* * *

Katara wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't know what was wrong with her. What was wrong with her relationship with Aang. Why she was doing things like this. She sniffed, curling into a little ball. She'd found a dark place by a staircase, hidden herself there. A few tipsy couples wandered by, but it was dark enough that nobody noticed one girl cuddled under the stairs, stuffed into a dress that hardly belonged to her.

Tears streaked softly down her cheeks. She wasn't the type to sob; she'd learned to cry quietly since she was a young girl trying to be strong for other children. And she cried silently now, letting her emotions rise and ebb like the living tide. Anger, shame, guilt, denial, all of the feelings that had been brewing for the last few days were overwhelming her now. She just didn't know what to do.

But her dad would be there soon. And he would know. Katara wiped her eyes yet again. Until then, she would need to silence her tears and be the representative that she was sent here to be.

* * *

Sorry for the late chapter guys! My boyfriend was visiting me this weekend, and we had full plans in Seattle. So, thanks for hanging with it, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please shoot me a review and let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA

Thanks for the reviews everybody! As always, I appreciate all of them. Sorry that this chapter is late, my puppy chewed up my power cable so I had to type it on my phone :(

One of you brought up Katara seeming a bit immature and out of character for the last chapter...that was slightly intentional. Struggling with your relationship and the knowledge that it has to end for one reason or another can make people act in ways that they normally wouldn't, and Katara is struggling morally with acknowledging an attraction to somebody else. I imagine Katara to be slightly immature when it comes to relationships because Aang is really her first one, having grown up during wartime. I appreciate your feedback though, and I'm really sorry if I broke your immersion in this story with it. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Also, a few of you brought up some inaccuracies in the previous chapters, I swung back and fixed as much of it as I could find. My bad for mixing up chi and chakra, I was actually thinking about that one episode where Aang opens up his chakras and it didn't correct itself in my head. Likewise I made some mistakes with Toph looking at things, that one is also tough for me because I've never written for a blind character before, so a lot of it is just habit. Thanks for letting me know, I always appreciate constructive criticism and I always try to go back and fix it.

Also! Side note! Apparently the weekend before last was a reader's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It's was birthday too lmao I hope you're having a good one!

* * *

"My lady, there's been a hawk. Your father will come to port today!"

Katara sat up, her hair still tangled from sleep. She'd hidden away in her room after the masquerade, refusing anybody who had come to see her. Even Aang. Satori had been the only one in the room when she'd returned, and she had been under strict instruction to inform any visitors that Katara was feeling sick, which she'd done with increasing frequency as the night continued. Meanwhile, Katara had spent the night stroking Ka gently until she fell asleep.

But now she pulled herself from her bed, a combination of excitement and sick anxiety filling her as she dressed herself in a simple tunic. She let Akatsa do her hair when she gestured, braiding the top back and tying off two long locks in the front. All of it was intertwined with strands of silver and oceanic pearls, making her hair catch the light. She washed her face with a quick turn of her hand, rinsing grease and morning grit from her eyes, freshening her skin. Katara sighed, feeling better like she always did in the water. Things would sort themselves out. Her father would know what to tell her.

And he was coming _today_! And Sokka, and Suki! She felt her spirits lift, her smile stretching almost painfully, but she didn't mind. Her family would be here, and with more members of their tribe...she wouldn't feel like a lone meer-penguin, adrift at sea. Well, she had her own attendants, but after two years of being totally immersed in her tribe, she was starting to miss it. She missed feeling needed, and feeling surrounded by the love and strength of her people. She missed them so badly that it ached, and her father would have at least ten, maybe fifteen people on his larger ship.

With a smile, she rose from the plush blue chair. She might be dressed simply, but her father would always see her as the princess of his tribe. Katara smoothed her hands over her thick braided hair, enjoying the silky feel of it.

She left her room with a smile and a spring in her step. But when she saw Toph and Roraima sitting outside of her door, she stopped mid-step.

Toph's head lifted slightly, her pale eyes opening, then blinking a few times. Roraima was dozing, a stream of drool running from her bottom lip to the crisp green cloth of her pajama pants. She woke with a jerk when Toph elbowed her. The two women were leaning on each other on a chaise lounge.

"Hey, we've been here all morning," said Toph in a low, rough voice. Her expression was irate. "What the hell happened last night? Aang ran off, we didn't see _you_ at all, and when we came by your room, your attendants refused to let us in. You're lucky that Satori is nice, or I'd have thrown her out the window."

"We were really worried," said Roraima quietly. She yawned. "Toph said you were sleeping in your bed, or we'd probably have forced our way in. We didn't see you at all..."

Katara didn't want to lie to her friends, nor did she want to tell them exactly what had gone down the night before. And Toph, a talented earthbender, would know the moment that she started lying. So she took a deep breath and composed herself, briefly thinking through what did and didn't need to be said.

"I, um, I did go to the party. I was a little bit early, so I walked around looking at the stuff. Then a guy asked me to dance, I didn't see any of you, and...and I got upset and left," she finished lamely. Toph's eyes narrowed; she could tell that Katara was dancing around some stuff, but the frame of the story was the truth. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you came to my room. I was really tired." That wasn't a lie either; she _had_ been tired, but that wasn't exactly why she didn't want them in her room. Toph's lip twisted slightly, but she didn't call Katara out. She knew that something was up. But she didn't know enough about it to question her.

"What were you upset about?" asked Roraima, not following the nonverbal cues that Katara knew Toph well enough to catch. Toph smirked smugly, knowing that Katara couldn't evade Roraima's questioning.

"I don't want to talk about it yet," mumbled Katara, her eyes falling to the floor. That was definitely true. Roraima, deciding not to push it, slipped her arm around her friend.

"It's fine," she reassured her, squeezing tightly. "Another time, I guess. Oh, Aang is looking for you too. And your family! We heard they're going to be here today!" Toph sighed through her nose, resigned to not getting any answers today.

"Yeah...I know." Katara's muttered words didn't escape Toph. Her eyes flickered to the smaller girl, but Toph didn't give off any sign of having heard her. "I mean, I'm really excited to see my family. I have a lot of stuff to talk about with my dad."

"Yeah, I bet you do," said Roraima, squeezing Katara's hand. Toph followed them as they walked down towards the city gates. "It was so great to meet Aang. You two look so cute together, he's really funny. I wish I had somebody like that...I bet my parents would let me date the Avatar. He's not technically nobility, but I guess he's sort of king of the Air Nomads, isn't he? Being the last one?"

"They don't have kings," replied Toph. She, paying close attention to Katara during the conversation, noticed the tension in her friend's body at the mention of Aang. _Something_ was up, even if she wasn't sure exactly what it was. But that didn't bode well for Aang, or for their group. Aang and Katara had been central figures in their friend group; they'd equalized everybody's dramatically different personalities, existed as the core of the gang. Toph was sure that their friendships would all survive a fallout, but she knew that things wouldn't be the same. "Air Nomads didn't really have a caste system like the other nations. They had spiritual leaders, but that wasn't something done by birthright."

"Fascinating! I'll have to talk to Aang more about that stuff. I don't know very much about the Air Nomads. Or I guess Katara probably knows almost as much as he does by now!" Roraima laughed cheerfully, totally oblivious to the undercurrents of the conversation. Katara, well aware that Toph could sense the tension in bodies, tried as much as she could to force herself to relax.

As they rounded the corner, Aang appeared, Momo perched jauntily on his shoulder. He froze, large gray eyes darting quickly to each woman before closing as he smiled bashfully.

"Hey ladies," he said, waving and walking towards them. "I, uh, I was looking for you, Katara. Your dad's ship pulled into port, they're on their way to the city."

Katara's suffocating guilt was smothered, replaced with anticipation. She couldn't help the wide grin that stretched across her features, nor could she stop the joyful hug that she gave Aang. He hesitated for only a moment before hugging her back, his arms tight around her. Katara relished the closeness, the intimacy of their relationship, the joy that she knew he shared with her.

"Thanks, Aang," she whispered, grateful that he'd run to find her first. He'd always been thoughtful like that. Maybe she _could_ work things out with him. "Come on. Let's meet them at the gate."

The four of them set off for the gates of the Fire Nation Capital.

* * *

Katara stood, trembling, at the open gates.

She wasn't permitted to leave them without a full guard, courtesy of the Fire Nation. Several armed men had accompanied them to the gate itself, but they informed her that they needed to sign out Komodo Rhinos if they wanted to go further. She halfheartedly agreed to wait there, and so far nothing.

She knew that it was a few hours' travel from the port to the capital, but she'd also had a smaller caravan when she'd done it. Her father's larger entourage would take more time to cross that distance, and of course any minor issue could slow them down. Still though, she couldn't help but feel anxious. It had only been a few years since the end of the war, hatred and resentment were still fresh among the nations. Of course he'd be accompanied by warriors, but Katara still worried.

It didn't help that the sun pounded down on all of them, the full heat of a Fire Nation summer casting rays on the small group. Aang, Roraima, and Toph waited with Katara, and all four of them sweated profusely under the boiling sun.

"Ugh, I hate this country," grumbled Toph, her head tipping back as she leaned into one of the small camp chairs that had been offered to the group by waiting attendants. Katara couldn't help but stand on her toes, struggling to see her father's caravan over the shimmering horizon. Though sweat trickled down the center of her back, sitting just made her feel too idle. "Full of hotheads, constantly sunny. I mean, not that rain is any better. Whatever happened to a good old cloudy day?"

"I don't mind waiting," said Aang, hands in his pockets as he stood beside Katara. "At least it's a nice day out. Right Momo?" The lemur chirped from his sprawled, shaded position under a camp chair.

"They're approaching the gates! I can feel them, maybe a mile out!" Toph shouted, still slumped in her chair. Katara jumped excitedly, finally catching sight of the outline of her father's caravan. It looked like a lot of people, plus several large wagons pulled by arctic camels. Flags bearing their national crest were carried at the four corners, brand new and catching the early morning sunlight.

"Oh, look! The Fire Lord is here! This is really cool, a formal greeting between national leaders...I've never seen this before, besides my cousin Kuei," said Roraima, turned back to face the palace. Katara turned too, surprised despite the knowledge that her father was a chief. Of course Zuko would personally come to greet him at the gate; it was a sign of respect between nations.

Sure enough, a royal caravan approached behind them, carrying a large and ornate red palanquin. She assumed it was the royal one; it was more elaborate than any she'd seen in the capital thus far, with intricately carved gold pillars and lush curtains. She'd learned a lot about Fire Nation culture, but dignitaries being carried by servants was by far her least favorite. She had to admit, however, that Zuko struck a very imposing figure stepping down in his broad-shouldered royal robes.

"About time you showed up, Sparky," said Toph, raising a hand in lazy acknowledgment of the young man. Zuko's attendants gasped, but he breezed past the casual greeting.

"Some of us have stuff to do," said Zuko mildly, crossing his arms as the Southern Water Tribe royal caravan approached. "Glad you could all make it though. I'm sure the Chief will be glad to see all of you first."

Katara felt a deep blush heat her cheeks when his gold eyes locked on her with the last sentence. Her mind flashed back to the man in the wolf helmet, wondering if it was possible...but his expression didn't give away anything besides courtesy. She had, however, been staring at him for too long. She dropped her gaze quickly.

"Y-yeah," she stammered before clearing her throat and shrugging. "I know. I'm excited to see him too." She stared at the ground in confused embarrassment, hating that she was standing between Zuko and Aang. Aang gave her a searching look before reaching out to take her hand; she wanted nothing more than to yank it away and just stand by her damn self for once. She did notice, however, Zuko bridling slightly at the silent claim made by the Avatar. He stepped away from them and resumed his place at the head of the welcoming party.

As her father approached, Katara resisted the intense urge to run and greet him. They were being recognized as a formal nation now; they needed to follow the courtesies that had been established long before any of them were born. She needed to act the part of a princess today, even if she'd never felt further from one.

Her father walked at the head of the caravan, as was traditional for the Chief. To his right walked Bato, and to his left walked Sokka. Behind Sokka, Katara could see the cheerful smile of Suki, and behind her walked the Kyoshi warriors in full regalia.

As they passed through the gate, Katara met eyes with her father, who returned her smile with love. Her hand tightened on Aang's, even though she wished nothing more than to be free to run and greet her family. It had only been a week and a half, but it felt like ages since she'd left the South Pole.

"Chief Hakoda," said Zuko, bowing low, his fist curled under the palm of his other hand. "The Fire Nation Capital is honored to host you and your family. Welcome." Her father returned the bow politely.

"Fire Lord Zuko. My family is grateful for your hospitality." His words were cold and short, the traditional response. Katara flinched, forgetting that her father still held a deep and intense grudge for the family that he'd lost in the war. He likely didn't intend to come across as resentful, but Zuko surely felt the frostiness emanating from the older man. Regardless, he didn't show any sign of discomfort. Chief Hakoda turned from the welcoming party and opened his arms to his daughter, formalities over for the moment. "Katara!"

Katara flung herself quickly into his arms, sighing in relief at the warm embrace. She felt home again, with so many of her tribe here.

"Aang! How have you been? It's been so long!" Chief Hakoda reached for the slender boy, wrapping him up into a tight hug with a free arm. "I heard you've been in Ba Sing Se, doing great things in the name of peace." Aang shrugged, cheesing despite his bashful blush.

"Just doing my best sir, Chief," laughed Aang good naturedly. He reached for Katara's hand, grasped it tightly. She cringed but didn't pull away. The way that her father looked at Aang, the affectionate light shining in his deep blue eyes, reminded her of how he looked at her and Sokka sometimes. Suki too, now. She knew why he loved Aang so much, why he treated him like a son most of the time.

But when he turned to face the Fire Lord again, his gaze was decidedly unfriendly. Hostile, even. Zuko swallowed noticeably, though his courteous demeanor didn't change. Katara couldn't help the tiny flame of resentment, rebellion even. Why did her father have to hate him? Zuko was a part of the uprising too, part of their gang. He'd saved her life before. _And he doesn't have a family either..._

 _"_ We'll accompany you to the palace, our largest suite is being prepared for you and your people. Please make yourselves at home, and don't hesitate to find me if you need anything. Kyoshi warriors, you have your own suite on the first floor. Our meeting for the trade agreement is tomorrow morning."

Katara had to admit that she was impressed with his composure. Her father wasn't an easy man to stare down, especially when he had that hard mask covering his emotions. But Zuko held his head high, maintained eye contact, like the proud ruler of a nation that he was.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught her father watching her. Quickly Katara averted her gaze, blushing slightly at being caught, but he didn't say anything. After giving her an odd look he returned his attention to Zuko.

"Sounds great. Let's get going, my men and women would like to settle in." He brushed past Zuko, shoulders back. Zuko, too polite to bring attention to it, summoned his servants with a wave of his hand and walked alongside them. It was generally frowned upon for a Fire Lord to walk through the city, but because he accompanied royal guests it wasn't too big of a deal.

He walked alongside Chief Hakoda, head held proudly high. Katara walked just a little bit behind them, Aang beside her. Thankfully he'd released her hand; she felt deeply guilty whenever he touched her.

"Katara, come up here with me." Her father waved his hand, and she quickly jumped forward to walk between him and Zuko. "How has your stay been? Have you been sleeping enough? You look well."

"It's been great!" she said enthusiastically, eager to cool the air between the two men. "Like a little vacation. Everybody here treats me like a real princess."

"You _are_ a real princess," said Zuko, his voice low, almost husky. Katara turned in surprise, her cheeks flushing deeply when she met his intense golden stare. She was silent for a moment before she remembered where she was, and much too late she forced a weak laugh.

"Maybe here," she said, smiling. "Not really a thing in the South Pole. I mean I guess we used to be sort of like that, but that was generations ago."

"I know." He smiled warmly at her. Katara returned it for a moment, forgetting that she was surrounded by family. But reality returned soon enough, and she straightened, not replying to him.

She glanced towards her father, but he didn't seem to notice. Or at least, he didn't say anything.

"Hey little sis!" said Sokka, bursting through the line of guards to throw his arm around Katara. Suki slipped in behind him, grinning excitedly. "I hear you've been living it up here. I can't wait for you to show us the fun stuff to do around here. Besides that one time that we came here and dethroned a Fire Lord...unless that's the _only_ thing to do here..." He glanced threateningly towards Zuko, who merely rolled his eyes in mild annoyance.

"Good to see you too, Sokka," he sighed, not bothering to force a smile. "I'm sure you'll find something to do. You know, as the son of the Chief you can sit in on all of his meetings with him."

Sokka's grimace told them all what he thought of that idea.

"Yeah, sure, let's put a pin in that. Instead of taking my girlfriend on a romantic komodo-rhino ride through the famous Valley of Flowers, I'll just sit in for my dad on the international courtesies meeting. Or maybe, instead of taking Suki to dinner for two on the rooftops, I'll fall asleep at the standing army treaty!" His overly cheerful tone dripped with sarcasm. Suki punched his arm lightly.

"That's enough," she sighed, blue eyes rolling affectionately. "We got it. No responsibilities."

"When has he ever had responsibilities," muttered Katara, not entirely joking. While she desperately loved her brother, she also felt a light twinge of annoyance at the way he brushed off the duties that they had all taken on in the name of upholding peace. She'd spent two years healing, building, and training others. She'd only just established a sufficient number of waterbenders to support the tribe while she was gone, and even now she wondered how the walls were doing, if they'd built the shelters that she'd planned with her father, if anybody had arrived with wounds too advanced for her one decent pupil to heal. And meanwhile, Sokka spent his time mooning over his girlfriend, flouting his role as the chief's eldest to stay with Suki. Aang, Toph, even Suki herself all dedicated themselves to progress, but Sokka couldn't seem to evolve away from the lazy brother that she'd always known.

Sokka didn't hear what his sister said, but Suki glanced at Katara with a worried frown.

"Well...we're here now, so you can kick back a little bit," she said hopefully, reaching out to squeeze Katara's arm. The waterbender's mouth quirked. "I know you've had a lot of weight on your shoulders for a while. Just have fun, okay? Go out, spend some time with Aang!"

Katara couldn't stop the frown that pulled at her lips, though she school her expression within seconds. She kissed somebody else just last night...well, he'd kissed her, but she couldn't deny that she'd wanted him to. Whoever he had been.

Her eyes flicked right again. Zuko wasn't looking at her, instead murmuring low commands to his assistant, who tagged at his heels like an over-excited puppy. When he turned back, she noticed that his eyes flicked momentarily towards her.

"Here we are!" exclaimed Zuko's master of the guard, an older man with a long white beard and a proud face. He bowed deeply to both the arriving party as well as his own Fire Lord. "The royal palace. Chief, esteemed Fire Lord."

Zuko and Chief Hakoda bowed their heads in response, and just like that the Fire Nation attendants disappeared into the halls.

"Chief, it's been a pleasure hosting Katara. If you have any requests of us, Anzo here has been assigned to manage your suite, or you can always ask me for anything."

"Thanks. It was good seeing you again Zuko, we'll just take the rest of the night to settle in."

Zuko nodded and turned, leaving Katara alone with her family.

Chief Hakoda turned to face his daughter. He put his hands on her shoulders, looking her full in the face. Katara hadn't realized how tall she'd become; she reached her father's chin now. She'd always imagined him to be gigantic, but Zuko was actually a little bit taller than him now. The fact that she knew that bothered her slightly.

"My sweet Katara," he sighed, smiling gently as he touched her cheek. "We need to talk."

* * *

Katara sat comfortably in a low chair, in a private office connected to her father's suite. It was a great deal larger than her own, although she understood the logic behind the household planning. Of course the chief of the Southern Water Tribe was entitled to larger rooms.

Chief Hakoda sat across from her, leaning heavily onto his thighs. For some reason he didn't quite look her in the eyes. Regardless, Katara was eager to give her report, so she sat up straight and did her best to summarize what she'd been learning.

"So, I talked to Zuko and General Iroh. They really want to help us, but...and this is between us...Zuko's claim to the throne is on ice right now. He's trying to pacify his citizens, make them confident that he's not another tyrant, and so he has to be carefully about which nations he favors. He said he can help, but we need to go through a third party; both of us decided that it would be optimal to use the Northern Water Tribe as a go-between. They can give us additional resources to get through the winter, and when they finish legally trying the commander and the captains under him, they'll be able to recover the stolen goods and compensate Chief Arbook. The only thing is that _we_ have to convince him."

Chief Hakoda nodded, not interrupting his daughter as she briefed him. Even after she was done, he sat in contemplative silence. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he finally spoke.

"Thank you, Katara," he said hesitantly. "I'll speak with Chief Arnook. That's certainly an option, if we can convince him to trust the Fire Lord. If _we_ can trust the Fire Lord." Katara's mouth opened in surprise.

"Of course we can trust him," she said suddenly, her brow furrowed. "It's Zuko. We've trusted him before, I don't see any reason to distrust him now." She jumped a little bit when she looked up and found her father's deep blue eyes locked on her.

"Katara..I've been meaning to ask you," he said slowly, clearing his throat. "How are you and Aang doing?" Katara felt her mouth to dry; he'd noticed more than she had given him credit for.

"Um...fine, I guess," she said quietly, her hands gripping her skirt tightly. Her father's eyes flicked down and she cursed her terrible lying. "I mean, it's different than it used to be. He has his things, and I have my things. I don't know. I guess we've been distant." She looked up. His eyebrow was arched. " _I've_ been distant."

"I noticed," he replied, his hand reaching out to take hers. "Katara, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do. Not to make other people happy, not even to make your family happy. If you think you're growing apart, sometimes the best thing to do is cut each other loose. You're growing up, and people change."

Katara nodded, feeling the awful discomfort that had plagued her all day begin to ease. She sighed in relief. She felt scared to lose Aang, scared to lose their friends, but knowing that her father stood behind her gave her more strength than she'd had all day. She closed her eyes and let the guilt ease as he pulled her into a deep hug.

After a long hug, he pulled back.

"So. What's going on with you and the Fire Lord?" His voice was more stern now, and Katara quailed under the unspoken accusation. She didn't know why she felt guilty again, since seducing Zuko into a marriage was technically the pretense that she had been sent here for.

"N-nothing!" she snapped a little too quickly. His eyes narrowed, but she swallowed and stuck to her guns. "Nothing dad. We're friends, that's all."

"Hm...alright. Nothing against him, I just don't think anybody from this nation would be good enough for you. And really, I don't trust someone as young as he is with this much power. He's better than his sister for sure, but he'll be easily corrupted. This nation is overflowing with prejudice and arrogance." The anger in his tone surprised and pained her.

"He's not like that," she said softly. Her father didn't seem to hear her.

* * *

Katara was glad to be in her own rooms again, in her own private space where nobody but Ka accompanied her. Ka groomed herself luxuriously, using her soft paw pads to rub her antlers gently.

She bent the water delicately, sliding the warm liquid over her skin and washing away the soaps. Sinking into the steaming pool, her eyes closed.

She had to talk to Aang. She knew, today when her father asked her about him, that they needed time apart. She needed time to grow into her role in the world, and so did he. She needed time to know herself. Sinking until she was up to her eyes in the pool, she blew bubbles of frustration. How would she tell him? Would be really be alright? Would it destroy their friendship?

When her eyes opened, they were facing the deep red curtains that blocked the office window that she knew of now. She stared at them, letting them push the anguish from her mind and settle her into a soothing state of ease.

' _Open them._ '

The voice shocked her out of her daze, and she jumped from the pool in horror. What kind of person was she becoming?

Katara quickly dried herself and fled to her room.

* * *

Not a super Zutara heavy chapter, but a necessary one! Hang tight, next chapter will be pretty exciting! All reviews are more than welcome!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I love all of them, it's so nice to see that people are following my fic and interested in it. I know this story is a bit of a slow burn, but it'll speed up after this chapter lol also I still don't have a power cord yet, so I got drunk and typed over half of this chapter on my phone!

Anyways, please enjoy this chapter and I always welcome reviews!

* * *

Katara held her breath, accustomed now to the tight binding that her dress team always did when they stuffed her into these fancy formal gowns. This one was exceptionally elegant, a white satin dress trimmed with deep blue and studded with valuable sapphires. Definitely one of Yue's old gowns, possibly for formal international events. Like this one.

White ribbons criss crossed across her back, woven together until they met in a lush bow over her hips. She felt like a tightly wrapped gift, but as she glanced at the mirror she couldn't help but admire the smooth lines of the cut.

This meeting was with Chief Arnook and her father, and it was regarding the trade agreement with the Fire Nation. Her father had spoken with the Northern Water Tribe Chief last night, who had been eager to follow up with their entire family as soon as possible. That had to be a good thing, right? Her father had come by her suite immediately after the meeting and told her to come to the private office in the throne room for breakfast the next morning with him, Sokka, and Chief Arnook.

So here she was, dressed in a beautiful gown, Akatsa weaving a beautiful silver headdress into her hair, brushing her eyes with silver paint. She looked like a princess. A real princess, a warrior of the south. The intensity of the silver against her blue eyes made her feel strong.

So she stood tall, thanked her team, and left to meet the two chiefs of the Water Tribes.

When she entered the room, she was surprised at how many people stood gathered together. Her father, her father's head of council, Chief Arnook and five of his elders, and...Sokka, Suki, and Aang. She'd sort of thought that the meeting would be more private, but the company made sense. It was a big decision, definitely one that the avatar should be aware of. Even if King Kuei wasn't.

"Welcome, Katara," said Chief Arnook, bowing low. Katara returned the bow. "The dress looks lovely on you. I'm sure that Yue would have loved to see you in it." Katara smiled sadly, knowing that the older man still suffered the loss of his daughter.

"Thank you, and it's good to see you too." She remembered her time in the Northern Water Tribe, remembered that he'd been very good to her during her time training there. And she hoped that now he could put his prejudice behind him and learn to trust again.

"We have much to talk about. Please sit."

Katara sat at the table. Her family and friends also sat, making this feel much more formal of a meeting than she'd anticipated. Even Aang looked serious, though he only had a rough idea of what this was about.

"Your father and have spoken about the treaty," said Chief Arnook, his expression serious. "It's interesting, and the logic behind it is understandable. I'm sensing that General Iroh has a strong hand in the decision making here, which isn't a bad thing from what I've been told."

Katara nodded, anxious to hear the fate of her village.

"I spent the night in thought. I want to trust the Fire Nation. I _want_ to trust Fire Lord Zuko. But I have no reason to. You ask for much. My tribe is also recovering, and ours is even larger than yours. You need a lot to get through the winter; I understand your pain. But my tribe has needs too, and few of them trust the Fire Nation to uphold a promise. Not after what we've all been through."

Shocked, Katara could do nothing but stare in disappointment. So coming here, crossing the ocean to get an audience with the Fire Lord...all for nothing. And no hope for the winter. She turned to look at her father, but he didn't seem defeated. If anything, he looked confident.

"You can persuade your people for more. You just need something to benefit you as well...an excuse," said Chief Hakoda knowingly. Chief Arnook didn't reply, but he smiled slightly. Katara relaxed as she understood. He couldn't just send them excess goods on the word of a new and fragile Fire Lord. He needed a guarantee of some sort. "So, what do you want?"

"I think you know." The Chief stared straight at Katara as he spoke now, and she felt a drop in her stomach. He couldn't mean...did her father...agree to this?

From the look on everybody's faces, ranging from her father's dark surprise to Aang and Sokka's confusion, it didn't look like Chief Arnook had shown his hand early.

"You mean...you want me to marry Zuko?" Her question was soft, almost a whisper, but the response was absolute chaos.

" _How dare you_!" snarled her father, standing and slamming his fist on the table. Aang and Sokka looked to share the sentiment, both leaping to their feet, but her father thundered over whatever they'd been starting to say. "This is _not_ our tribe's way! This is my daughter, and I won't stand for her being used like this!" His anger stunned Katara. Was that really all this was about? Chief Arnook looked unfazed, sitting back and letting the collective anger wash over him.

"She's _my girlfriend!_ " yelled Aang loudly, his face red with surprise and rage. "She can't...that's awful! How can you demand that someone marry against their will, and intentionally withhold support from a tribe? Your _sister_ tribe!" Sokka bolstered this point with angry, albeit incomprehensible, shouting.

Chief Arnook rode out the pandemonium with cool composure. Katara sat in silence, partially horrified and partially curious about what he had to say about it. Clearly he had something further to get into, but needed them to actually listen. He met her gaze and a small smile quirked the corner of his mouth.

Finally it died down. Chief Arnook spread butter over a roll, taking a small bite before clearing his throat. Everybody except Katara stared at him with expectant anger.

"First of all, political marriages are not outside of your culture. It's older than any generation you've experienced, but your tribe and mine used to send princes, princesses, dukes, duchesses, and noblemen and women for hundreds of years before our time. Katara would be the first in a long time, that is for sure, but she wouldn't be the _first_." Her father looked ready to argue semantics, but Chief Arnook gave him a hard look. He wasn't through yet. Eyes narrow, Chief Hakoda settled back to hear the rest.

"Secondly, I see few other options for us. My nieces are making no progress with the Fire Lord. One of them is even asking if she can allow a minor lord here to court her, so it's suffice to say that she's no longer interested. Katara, meanwhile, not only has his attention, but as I hear it he is more invested in her than he lets on."

Aang looked at Katara in surprise, but she staunchly kept her eyes on Chief Arnook. Now was not the time to handle this with him.

"Your village needs resources. I understand. I don't have a reason to take from my people and give to yours at the moment...but should our sister tribe bind to the Fire Nation through a marriage, my people would recognize the political advantage that it gives us, and surely we could send gifts of more than sufficient quantity to get your tribe through the next few years. There is also the dowry to consider. It currently stands at 250,000 gold, plus silver, fine wood, and priceless jewelry. No doubt valuable to anybody who secures it, but your tribe in particular could benefit from the excess."

Katara listened hard. This deal could be the difference between life and death for people, her own people. And honestly, if you looked past the emotional aspect of the proposition, it actually made sense. Similar to Zuko's situation, Chief Arnook couldn't just send money around, especially not during this time of both tension and peace. And he was right too. Her father knew...they had stories of their ancestors, legendary tales of kings and queens joined through arranged marriages. There was even a duchess who went to the Northern Air Temple to join hands with a nomad to secure a trade alliance.

It was asking for a lot. After hundreds of years of love marriages, it would be difficult to go back to political ones. And there was the unspoken resentment between the chiefs, that the only reason that Chief Arnook even demanded this was because he didn't have a daughter to offer, nor was there any faith that he would have offered her at all if she were here. But that would have been unspeakably tasteless to bring up.

So he asked Katara for a marriage to forge faith among nations. And...as the daughter of the Chief, as a player in this newborn political playing field, was she not responsible to use every resource available to her to ensure the continuing success of her tribe? Wasn't that more important than her own comfort?

Katara liked Zuko, sure. Maybe she even had untested interest in him. But this was skipping every single step in between, jumping straight to marriage. An agreement to bond for life, to bear children with him...everything that that entailed. Katara flushed hot red. Yes, it was asking a lot.

"Maybe," she said slowly, and at the sound of her voice every face turned to her. Mouths dropped open, but silence reigned as she spoke. "Maybe...it would be for the best."

There was dead silence. The entire table stared at her as she stubbornly glared at the table. Then, like before, yelling erupted.

"Katara, you are in no way obligated to do this," barked her father. She flinched at the hard tone in his voice. "You are not to be held responsible for the situation that our tribe is in. The Fire Nation did this to us, and they will not take my daughter as compensation for undoing _their war._ " There it was. The resentment, the hatred towards the Fire Nation. As far as her father had come, he still bore deep scars from his losses during the war. And although he was glad to work with them to reestablish peace, the idea of giving up a child to them was too much. Katara knew that he was justified in his anger. She hated to see him like this. But she was starting to understand what she had to do.

"What happened has happened," she said quietly. She couldn't look at Aang, at Sokka. Suki stared in disbelief, her eyes darting back and forth but revealing little. "The war happened. It's over now. I'm entitled to the same anger, but the things that we do now will determine the future for us. Maybe I have to put my anger behind me and look forward too."

Her father didn't speak, just stared at her in disbelief. She felt heavy gray eyes on her, and she knew it was time for her to talk with Aang. She stood, towering over the seated table. Katara turned and nodded to Chief Arnook.

"I'll think about it," she said, barely returning his smile. "Me and Aang need to talk."

She stood, and nobody stopped her as she left the room. Aang stood and followed her.

They wove through the throne room, through the offices until she found an empty one. Aang shut the door behind him, and for the first time ever Katara was afraid of him. Not because she thought he'd strike out at her, but because she dreaded the hurt that they were going to do to each other.

"So...you're really going to think about it?" he asked her in a low voice, the emotion behind it masked. Katara cringed.

"I have to. I have an obligation to my people." She turned to face him, wishing that this could be easy. Aang nodded, looking sharply at the floor.

"But that's not the only reason," he added, still avoiding her eyes. Katara flinched, wondering if he knew. If he suspected. "If you were in love with me... _really_ in love, I don't think this would be on the table at all." His voice wasn't accusatory, just flat, like he was stating a fact.

"I'm sorry Aang," she whispered, wishing she could hug him. "I...I don't love Zuko. It's not like that. But I don't feel like we're in love either. We were so young when this all started. I think we need time to really grow up."

"You're taking that time away from yourself," he replied, his voice pained now. She nodded, feeling hot tears sting her eyes. "For your tribe."

They stood in silence, close but not touching. For a long time neither said anything.

"That's what I loved about you," said Aang finally, rubbing his eyes. "That you'd do anything for your tribe. You're a great person Katara. This isn't my choice to force onto you. I just...I need some time alone."

She nodded, and he left the room. Katara felt a deep emptiness break into her as he shut the door behind him, and she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face.

* * *

"What's this meeting for?" asked Zuko irritably. He was hungry, he'd missed breakfast because his training had gone over time, and now he had this emergency meeting with his council. And nobody had even told him what it was about.

"We needed to speak with you, esteemed Fire Lord," said Lord Hyazi, bowing deeply. "Some new information has emerged, and we have met several times to discuss the significance of it before making the decision to bring it to your attention."

"Information regarding what?" he asked, wanting to just get to the point. "A treaty? An assassination? Some noble visiting?" They all exchanged unsure glances. Zuko took a seat at the table, and they all followed.

"It's in regards to your future engagement," replies Lord Hyazi. "We've been speaking with Chief Arnook, and we believe that a better investment may be in order."

"You told me not to choose someone outside of the Fire Nation," said Zuko. "It made sense. Why change your minds now?" It wasn't that he was opposed to the thought, but it _had_ made sense. Why shake the boat like this when whispers of uprising emerged strongly every day?

"Well, we have discussed other options. If you marry into the Fire Nation, the standard dowry just goes into the pockets of another minor lord here. One who was likely already allied to you, one who offers little besides a daughter and a lineage."

Zuko shrugged. That didn't seem outrageous of a price for the security of the throne.

"There may be a superior option. Marrying a lady from another nation would bring us not only an alliance, but also an investment. That dowry isn't free, in a sense, because trade agreements become available. The Earth Kingdom may be a poor choice. They have the best economic standing, and have little to offer. The Northern Water Tribe stands to gain a bit more from a marriage...but the Southern tribe would gain the most. We think that a strong relationship with them could bolster both nations substantially, both making a powerful ally and bolstering our own nation as well."

That meant...marrying Katara. Zuko's mouth suddenly felt dry, and the memory of her bathing in the courtyard rose unbidden to his mind. He forced it back down, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"What exactly would we gain from that? They have nothing to offer us. They're a poor nation." She was beautiful, definitely. But he had a responsibility to think like a Fire Lord, not like a common man. Married to Katara...

"Yes, their resources are limited," said Lord Hyazi. "But they have expansive untapped mountains that we believe to be rich with coal. Our own supply of coal is dropping every day; the reunification effort requires as much travel as the war did, but we have lost ownership to the coal mines in the former Earth Kingom colonies. The Southern Water Tribe, however, has not expanded into mining. They lack the equipment to mine it, which we have in over abundance now. So we can offer to mine it, bringing more jobs to the south, and providing cheap and abundant coal for both nations. They rise together."

He sat back proudly. Zuko's eyebrows raised; they had clearly put a lot of thought into this. And it wasn't bad. The wealth to be gained from mining would likely be a decent cushion to protect him and his council from national lash back. But would it be enough?

"Are you sure that we won't lose public support over this?" he asked. The council exchanged significant looks.

"Well...we may," said Lord Azuma reluctantly. "This part depends on you. Political marriages aren't uncommon in our nation. But it's unheard of for a Fire Lord to marry outside of the nation, so we have no precedent for what to expect. However, what we do know is that historically, a tragic or forbidden romance has garnered support from the general population. We think that the best way to convince the nation to support your potential marriage would be to stage a romance. A secret courtship that becomes obvious, which will be forbidden by us in order to gather support from the people. If it goes well, it may even boost your public image."

"That sounds like a dangerous game," said Zuko. "You're turning yourselves into the enemy. That could compromise your own jobs. And it's dependent on none of us letting the information slip. If the public found out that it was staged, they could riot."

"Yes. A lot of this relies on trust. We have to trust that you'll support us throughout this, and you have to trust in our silence. But, we've never failed you before."

Zuko nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll have to think about it. And talk to the chiefs."

"We've spoken with Chief Arnook already. He's confident that he can convince Chief Hakoda. But it's up to the princess Katara, and we will have to leave that to you."

Obviously he'd need to be the one to talk to Katara. He swallowed hard. She was an old friend, he trusted her, but they'd never had anything between them. At least, not until very recently. And to know that she was considering him in that light...

"I'll speak with her," he said. "Nothing is decided yet. It makes sense, but I'm not sure that she'll be willing to sign her life off for an alliance."

He hated to think it, but as much as he knew Katara loved her tribe, he wasn't sure if she'd be so ready to sell herself for them. And he also hated to admit that it was embarrassing to have to ask her to do so.

But just like her duty would be to her people, he owed his at least the will to try.

"Sina. Send an invitation to the lady Katara to meet me in my private tea room tonight for dinner."

* * *

"You can't be serious. You're not really going to this dinner, are you? Is this really happening?" Toph grimaced as Katara threw herself onto her bed. "You broke up with Aang?"

"I don't know what else to do," said Katara, her voice muffled by the pillow she pulled over her face. "It makes sense, politically. It would do more for my tribe than I could do in years. I could make sure that trades were fair, I'd have a say in the progress of peace and culture. I could keep everything safe, forever."

"At what cost?" asked Toph gently. "If we're trading people for peace, is it even peace?" Katara looked up. She hadn't expected anything philosophical to ever come from Toph, but the girl had really grown into a young woman.

"I'm not being traded. If I do this, it's because I agree to it." She felt the weight of her role on her shoulders.

"My lady, your brother is at the door. He wants to talk to you." Satori bowed low as she spoke. She'd knocked courteously before opening the door to Katara's private room, aware that formalities had to be strictly adhered to now that the full entourage was here. Katara frowned. She didn't want to talk to Sokka yet.

"Tell him I'm...I need time alone. I'll talk with him tomorrow." Katara hated to turn her brother away after he'd just arrived, but she knew that he was only coming to talk her out of considering the proposition. And she already knew all of the arguments from both sides; her head was running an endless stream of them as if her life depended on it. _It's a bad idea. You don't love him. What if he turns bad again? What if you realize you did love Aang? What if you forget your heritage? What if you hate your life? What if somebody assassinates you? What if Zuko is dethroned?_

Katara closed her eyes and forced the bad thoughts away. Nothing was decided just yet, and she had the freedom to make the final choice.

"I have to do this. And it's just dinner."

"You said that about the tea date, and now you're talking to him about an engagement." Toph's arms crossed. Katara winced.

"I know. Look Toph, you can't tell anybody else. This is family only, alright? Not my own servants, not even Roraima. I've just always considered you to be family, so don't make me regret telling you about this." Katara sighed in relief as Toph shrugged noncommittally. She knew that meant that her friend wouldn't say a word about it. "Thanks. Sorry, I know this is weird and everything. But it's like I said, nothing is decided."

"Is that what you're going to wear?" asked Toph, her eyebrows raising. "I might be blind but I can feel a floor length gown. Seems a little bit formal." Surprised, Katara looked down at herself.

"It's a political thing. Shouldn't I? It's sort of a big deal, I'm coming at this as a representative of a nation." She felt a mild deja vu as she reconsidered, yet again, what she should wear to this.

"I guess so. It seems more personal than that though, since he's a friend and everything. Right?" As Toph asked the question, Katara knew what the answer was. She stood, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"He's a friend, but not the same friend that we knew him as. He's the leader of a nation now, nothing is simple anymore." She would need to bring all of her bargaining power to the table here. Toph nodded.

"You know him better than I do at this point," she said mildly. "I'll feed Ka while you're gone. Don't stay out too late sugar queen."

Katara sighed at her old nickname, smiling at her old friend.

"It's not like that. It's just dinner, to talk about the possibility of an alliance."

"A marriage alliance."

"Goodnight Toph!"

* * *

Katara wasn't expecting anything special. She hadn't been to this room before, but a tea room didn't sound romantic to her. It sounded like just a quiet place to talk, maybe have a little food. And it was in the same hall as his other offices, so she couldn't expect it to look much different.

But when Sina opened the door for her, she was surprised by the intimacy of the room. There was a small fire burning in a stone fireplace, warming the area as darkness cooled the palace. A lovely fountain decorated with exquisitely carved birds generated the soothing music of trickling water, and carefully placed candles lit the room. Zuko sat at a low table in the center of the room, a traditional layout with thick red cushions on the floor to sit on. As she walked in, he stood to greet her. Katara was grateful to see that he wore his royal robes, matching her formality. This was a meeting between friends, and at the same time it wasn't.

"Welcome," he said after a moment of hesitation. His hand came up as though to rub the back of his neck, as he'd done when he was younger, but he caught himself and forced it back down. Katara felt a mild pain at how strictly he'd trained himself to be a Fire Lord. "Please, sit."

She sank gracefully into the cushions, her feet curling to the side as she surveyed him over the dark table. A beautiful teapot steamed in the center, and he poured them two cups of white lotus tea.

"Sina, leave us." The assistant bowed deeply before closing the door with a quiet click. He looked up and handed Katara the cup, fingers touching hers briefly as she took it. She felt her heart beat in her throat.

"This is beautiful," she admitted, looking down at her hands as he watched her. For the first time, she was at a loss of words. She had no idea what to say to him, and from his hesitation, he didn't really know either.

"I'm sorry," he said, laughing lightly. "This is really awkward. I know you've been put in a bad place, but I'm still your friend Katara. We can talk about this."

"Yeah. It's just talk." Though she repeated his words, it didn't feel like just talk to her. But he smiled and she felt that her mouth go dry.

"So, _marriage_. Sort of a big deal, I know. I talked with my council, they said your father and Chief Arnook had already spoken with you. I know you're with Aang, and it's really an unusual proposition. I'd never expect you to go along with this against your will, so I do want to hear what you think." Zuko looked at her expectantly. Katara felt herself blush as she realized that he was looking for an answer.

"Um, well, I um..." she cleared her throat, wishing that she'd had some sort of training on what to say, what to do as a political leader. She looked down and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure exactly what to say, but she knew that one thing had to be cleared up, and since she wasn't sure _how_ to say it, she really had to just say it. "Aang and I broke up."

Zuko stared at her in shock, processing what that meant. He desperately wanted to know if it had something to do with this, but obviously now wasn't the time to ask.

"It's been a long time coming. And also, I want to consider the proposition." She couldn't look at him, focusing on her own knuckles as heat flooded her face. The proposition, the _marriage_ proposition, the children proposition...she pushed herself past it. "It's intriguing. It can be beneficial to both of our nations. It could be great for them." He nodded, frowning slightly.

"I know. You know I have no intention of taking advantage of your tribe. And...I meant what you think about...us." As he spoke, his eyes dropped, and a light blush reddened his neck. Katara was stunned. Despite his cool royal exterior, this was apparently ground that he rarely tread.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I mean, you're a good friend. I sort of also feel like I don't know you very well anymore though. I guess i don't know how I feel about this. Us." She didn't dare admit that she'd been thinking about more than the politics of this situation. Not yet. If she'd learned anything from her father, it was not to lay her cards on the table too early.

He sippped at the lotus tea. It was light, airy, a pleasant drink. Sina knocked at the door, interrupting them to bring in a tray of covered plates. Katara stopped to look with interest as she revealed dishes of succulent braised rabbit and roasted fire peppers. Sina bowed deeply and left the room again, leaving them to their dinner.

"Wine? It's pretty good, the vineyard for it is just outside of the capital walls." Zuko held up a large glass decanter filled with dark red liquid. Katara began to shake her head, but reconsidered after a moment and held out her glass. After today, wine was more than welcome. He poured it for her and handed it back.

For a few minutes they ate in silence. The food was incredible, tenderly cooked with butter and rosemary. The wine was dark and dry, but with a blackberry undertone that made her wish she could down the glass. At any rate, it helped her to feel more comfortable with this conversation.

"Alright. I know this is weird and it's been a long time since we've talked. But I need to lay some things out," said Zuko, leaning onto the table. "You know I need to establish a royal family, and I've told you before that I'd prefer it to be somebody that I know. You're a popular choice. My council likes you, you have good international standing, and you're a strong bender."

"M-hm..." Katara sipped at her wine again, already knowing much about why she mad a good marital candidate. She wasn't ignorant of her appeal as a bender and as an heiress within her own rights.

"B-but," Zuko stammered briefly before clearing his throat. "Also...you're smart, and kind, and responsible. You're regal even when you're not trying to be. _Especially_ when you're not trying." Katara's eyes widened, mouth opening slightly. "You have all of the qualities of a good queen. Or Chief, if that's what you want to do. But I just want you to know that this offer isn't just my council to yours. I also...find you an exceptional woman."

Katara stared blankly while Zuko studied his crystal glass, his face humbler than she'd seen in a long time. Ever, maybe. It was oddly attractive, seeing a side of him that few ever saw. Katara fought the sharp flutter in her stomach.

"I...don't know what to say," she murmured, honestly at a loss for words. "I mean, I'm really flattered. Who wouldn't be? But I'm just not sure. I think I have to talk to my dad again first. If I was going to go through with this, I'd really need his support. And I'm...I'm still not sure that it's what I want to do."

Zuko reached across the table abruptly, his hand closing around Katara's. She jumped but didn't pull away; his grip was incredibly warm.

"Look, I just need you to know. Everything can wait. If you wanted to do this for our nations, everything else...we can wait. Until you're comfortable." As Katara realized what he was talking about, her lungs lost their air. Was that...was he seriously talking about...?

She sensed that he wasn't quite done yet, but before she could respond, a loud knock echoed from the door.

"Fire Lord, I'm so sorry, but the Avatar is here. As well as the lord Sokka, the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, and the lady Toph Bei Fong. They...they're demanding an audience."

Zuko frowned. "Looks like the gang is all here. Let them in, Sina."

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The plot thickens! Lol I was dying to reach this chapter. Please enjoy it and let me know what you think in the reviews! I know the Zutara has been limited in the last few chapters, but looks like we can finally start moving forward!


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